Brookfield Office Properties yesterday unveiled its $250 renovation plans for the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center at Battery Park City and it indicated it intends to keep its spectacular and lovely grand staircase, according to an article by Dana Rubenstein in today's edition of The Wall Street Journal.
"Following pressure from government officials and community members, Brookfield decided to keep the staircase," the article said, adding that Gayle Horowitz, president of the Battery Park City Authority, said that 'It's really kind of a central gathering place for the community."
Earlier plans indicated that the grand staircase would be demolished. Before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011, an enclosed bridge over West Street connected the plaza level of the World Trade Center with the Winter Garden at the stop of the ground staircase. The building of the World Trade Center is eliminating the bride and pedestrians will cross West Street at street level when traffic lights change because planners felt that automobile traffic was more important that significantly expanding the public open spaces at Ground Zero by putting the very busy West Street highway in a tunnel in that area.
The rationale for demolishing the grand staircase was that pedestrians would now be confronted with a tall wall once they walked across the highway.
The new renovation plan will include a new "pavilion entrance, a dining terrace overlooking the Hudson River and a gourmet market," according to the article.
A Brookfield press release indicated that the "reconfigured retail and public spaces will do a better job of tapping into the traffic expected to flock to the planned September 11 Memorial, office buildings and transportation center under construction at the Ground Zero site." "On a daily basis, more than 300,000 people live, work, shop and eat in this neighborhood," Dennis Friedrich, Brookfield president, said, adding that retail space will be expanded to more than 200,000 square feet from 177,000 square feet.
Pelli Clarke Pelli will design the new pavilion. Cesar Pelli had designed the Winter Garden and all of the World Financial Center include the great North Cove yacht marina on the west side of the Winter Garden.
"Following pressure from government officials and community members, Brookfield decided to keep the staircase," the article said, adding that Gayle Horowitz, president of the Battery Park City Authority, said that 'It's really kind of a central gathering place for the community."
Earlier plans indicated that the grand staircase would be demolished. Before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011, an enclosed bridge over West Street connected the plaza level of the World Trade Center with the Winter Garden at the stop of the ground staircase. The building of the World Trade Center is eliminating the bride and pedestrians will cross West Street at street level when traffic lights change because planners felt that automobile traffic was more important that significantly expanding the public open spaces at Ground Zero by putting the very busy West Street highway in a tunnel in that area.
The rationale for demolishing the grand staircase was that pedestrians would now be confronted with a tall wall once they walked across the highway.
The new renovation plan will include a new "pavilion entrance, a dining terrace overlooking the Hudson River and a gourmet market," according to the article.
A Brookfield press release indicated that the "reconfigured retail and public spaces will do a better job of tapping into the traffic expected to flock to the planned September 11 Memorial, office buildings and transportation center under construction at the Ground Zero site." "On a daily basis, more than 300,000 people live, work, shop and eat in this neighborhood," Dennis Friedrich, Brookfield president, said, adding that retail space will be expanded to more than 200,000 square feet from 177,000 square feet.
Pelli Clarke Pelli will design the new pavilion. Cesar Pelli had designed the Winter Garden and all of the World Financial Center include the great North Cove yacht marina on the west side of the Winter Garden.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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