(l-r) Manhattan Borough Commissioner for the NYC Department of Transportation Ed Pincar, NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Lorraine Grillo, Deputy Borough President Matthew Washington, Meatpacking BID Chair Jonathan Iger, Meatpacking BID Executive Director Jeffrey LeFrancois, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, New York Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, and designer Ken Smith opened the Meatpacking District's new public plazas (Image via Pat Dunford)
U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and Assembly Member Richard Gottfried were among the elected officials and community representatives on hand to celebrate the opening of new public plazas that include the new Gansevoort Plaza, The Chelsea Triangle, and the 14th Street Square in the heart of the Meatpacking District. Jeffrey LeFrancois, Executive Director of the Meatpacking District BID, notes that the space was part of a pilot program that has now become permanent. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place after seven years of planning, Landmarks Preservation Commission presentations, and community advocacy.
“Plaza projects are a favorite of ours because they do something that’s very important: They create new pedestrian space, space for people that used to be for cars” – Lorraine Grillo, Commissioner, NYC Department of Design and Construction
U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler and Meatpacking District BID Executive Director Jeffrey LeFrancois in the public plaza following the ceremony (Image via Pat Dunford)
The design by Ken Smith Workshop features distinct café tables, white chairs, and red umbrellas. The plazas and roadways are paved with more than 250,000 cobblestones, several of which were preserved from the original streets and reused here. Ed Pincar, Manhattan Borough Commissioner for the NYC Department of Transportation, remarks that, “The new spaces pay testament to the historic fabric of the Meatpacking District and literally pave the way into a more energetic and exciting future for this neighborhood.”
In addition to the new public plazas, the project brings new plantings and flower beds to the area, not to mention a new bike lane to Ninth Avenue between Gansevoort and 14th Streets. Moreover, the public space is underpinned by infrastructure improvements like new traffic signals, sidewalk repairs, and the replacement of 1,300 feet of old water mains.
In addition to the new public plazas, the project brings new plantings and flower beds to the area, not to mention a new bike lane to Ninth Avenue between Gansevoort and 14th Streets. Moreover, the public space is underpinned by infrastructure improvements like new traffic signals, sidewalk repairs, and the replacement of 1,300 feet of old water mains.
Just up the street, Gansevoort Row is taking shape between Washington and Greenwich Streets. In a prime example of the old Meatpacking District meeting new, New York institution Pastis has reopened right next door to a three-level Hermes. Luxury fashion house Brunello Cuccinelli has announced that it will give up its Madison Avenue store when its lease is up at the end of the year and move into a three-story space at 50 Gansevoort Street. The New York Post broke the news and added that Belstaff and Frame will also be taking retail space on Gansevoort Row. As with the public plazas, designer BKSK Architects studied the history of the area and received the blessing of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Gansevoort Row circa August 2019 via CityRealty
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