Brooklyn Bridge Park is Expanding
Brooklyn Bridge Park, the 1.3-mile long waterfront green space that borders Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo, has faced a few setbacks in recent months, including lawsuits, endless neighbor complaints, and the delayed re-opening of the fancy Squibb Park Bridge. But despite these travails, Brooklyn Bridge Park continues to grow. In August, two new sections will open, bringing fresh lawns, flower gardens, education centers, and a new dog run to the riverfront, the New York Times reports.
At the park’s south end, where Atlantic Avenue meets the East River, the Pier 6 Meadow will be unveiled, where 35 different types of plants will grow around small circular lawns. Shiny new additions at the north end include an annex of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, an Environmental Education Center to be run by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, new public bathrooms, and a dog run. The landscape architects, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, were sure to preserve some of the area’s industrial vibe by keeping old train tracks embedded at the entrance to the north end’s plaza. It’s a way of referencing the area’s history as a manufacturing hub–for decades, trains delivered goods to and from the docks. A shopping destination, Empire Stores, is also under construction right at the Brooklyn Bridge end of the park. The 330,000 square foot retail and office complex will be the new home to an outpost of the Brooklyn Historical Society, and will be anchored by big box home goods retailer West Elm.
The public will be free to frolic in the new parklands come August.
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