Liberty Park (Manhattan)

Coordinates: 40°42′40″N 74°00′51″W / 40.711067°N 74.014278°W / 40.711067; -74.014278

Layout of the park, with the St. Nicholas Church at left and pedestrian bridge at right

Liberty Park is an elevated public park under construction in the new World Trade Center in New York City, overlooking the World Trade Center site.

It began construction in 2013 when the Vehicular Security Center was completed, and it will be completed between 2015^[1] and early 2017. The park, when open, will overlook the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and will have a connection to the Liberty Street Bridge.^[2] The St. Nicholas Church, destroyed in the September 11 attacks, will be rebuilt in the park, with a new design by Santiago Calatrava, who designed most of the reconstructed site.^[3] The park, located 25 feet (7.6 m) above Liberty Street, is just a little more than 1 acre (4,000 m²) in area.^[4]

Liberty Park is located on top of the Vehicular Security Center, the latter of which protects the site against unauthorized vehicles. ^[5] About US$50,000,000 was allocated to the park's construction by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in December 2013.^[6]

Description

It is planned to have a capacity of 750 people and will be the roof of the Vehicular Security Center. A "living wall" will be located on the Liberty Street facade, which would be "essentially a vertical landscape, roughly 300 feet long and more than 20 feet high, made of periwinkle, Japanese spurge, winter creeper, sedge and Baltic ivy.” A walkway from the pedestrian bridge will curve along the park; egresses will be three stairways, the pedestrian bridge, and a straight ramp down to Greenwich Street. Of these exits, a wide, "monumental" staircase would be located parallel to Greenwich Street and directly behind the church. There will be wood benches and a small amphitheater-like elevated space at the West Street end of the park. Finally, a "continuous overlook" along much of Liberty Street would be provided in addition to "a gently curving balcony" at the church's foot. ^[3]

Five World Trade Center was planned to be built adjacent to the southern edge of the VSC and Liberty Park on the site of the former Deutsche Bank Building.^[7] As of 2014, the Port Authority does not plan to proceed with construction of the building until tenants are found.^[8]

Location of The Sphere

The Sphere, a large metallic sculpture by German sculptor Fritz Koenig, once stood in the middle of Austin J. Tobin Plaza, the area between the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan was recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The artwork faced an uncertain fate, and it was dismantled into its components. Although it remained structurally intact, it had been visibly damaged by debris from the airliners that were crashed into the buildings and from the collapsing skyscrapers themselves. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which owns The Sphere, is considering placing the sculpture in Liberty Park, which will be located between the 90 West Street building and the World Trade Center Memorial site. Construction on Liberty Park did not start until 2013, so a location was needed to place The Sphere until Liberty Park is completed. As of February 2011, PANYNJ had not made an official final decision on where to place the sculpture once Battery Park construction commences, forcing the sculpture to move. Until Liberty Park opens, the Sphere will go into storage.^[9][10]

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

On July 23, 2008, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reached a deal with the leaders of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church for the Port Authority to acquire the 1,200-square-foot (110 m²) lot that the church had occupied, for $20 million: $10 million of which is coming from the Port Authority and the other $10 million of which is coming from JPMorgan Chase.^[11][12]

The Port Authority and the church announced a deal in July 2008 under which the Port Authority would grant land and up to $20 million to help rebuild it in a new location – in addition, the authority was willing to pay up to $40 million to construct a bomb-proof platform underneath.^[13] In March 2009, the Port Authority stated it quit talking with the church and canceled building St. Nicholas altogether. The Port Authority claimed that the church was asking for too much, and that they might delay the whole World Trade Center project.^[12] The Archdioceses says that they just wanted the church back, and a third of the building would be a memorial for 9-11, and a place where people of all faiths could pray and remember those who died in the attacks.

Architect Santiago Calatrava was awarded the task of designing the new St. Nicholas. His plans were influenced by the churches of Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Savior, Istanbul.^[14] The church will be constructed in Liberty Park; the site for the new church is east of the original site at 155 Cedar Street.^[15] As of 2013, construction of the new church was scheduled to begin in early 2014, and to end in early 2017.^[16] The new church will be created from steel and concrete but the exterior will be clad in stone. In designing the church, Calatrava was said to be inspired by Byzantine churches of the past, including the Haghia Sophia in Istanbul. The interior design of the church is still being determined.^[17] The site for the new church is east of the original site at 155 Cedar Street.^[18] Construction of the new church is scheduled to begin in early 2014.^[19]

References