Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park

Site Context

Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park occupies a unique site, characterized by its relatively small area located at the center of colossal surroundings. This spectacular site is dedicated to public recreation. The main function of this public place — and the reason for its existence — is the privileged viewing of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor. Two points, one at the center of the Statue of Liberty’s base and a second at the intersection of two rectilinear coastal edges at the site's tip, determine a line that becomes the park’s geometric and structuring axis.

 

The Component Ensemble

 

The design of the park comprises three main components: a pair of allées that brings pedestrians towards the main park entrance, extending the sidewalks of Battery Place coming from the north and of Battery Park from the south; a pair of pavilions connected by a bridge constituting the main building; and a lawn terrace framed by continuous paths and benches. This "Y" shaped architectural ensemble is the backbone of the park, resting in gardens and fields of grass that connect to the Battery Park City Esplanade and to Battery Park.

 

Building Materiality & Design

 

The building is conceived as a large, over-scaled, massive masonry wall split in the center, framing the view to the Statue. This wall appears as a remnant or an exposed foundation of a colossal structure, its "crumbling" towards the city alluding to a ruinous condition. This "lithic" formation is used to develop a pair of large public steps that seemingly prolong the allées and bring the public up to a balcony overlooking the lawn and harbor. On the wall’s surfaces, a variety of brick patterns are displayed following a precise figurative symbolic strategy.

 

Park’s Connection to New York Landmarks

 

The upper level, eighteen feet above the ground, is the truly significant public situation on the park, since the ground level houses restrooms, a café, and maintenance spaces. This pair of balconies — furnished with tall-backed wooden benches and portable tables and chairs — is the ideal ground for contemplation, lunching, and general relaxation. The character of each balcony is quite different from the other: the northern balcony offers a view of the river framed by a large arch, while on the south, the experience of the view is more open and unprotected. From the center of the bridge connecting these two, the viewer's direct relation to the Statue of Liberty is "face to face."

 

Principals Rodolfo Machado & Jorge Silvetti on site.

 
 

"What is most important is that every aspect of this design emerges from the realities of the park's surroundings—the waterfront, the Statue of Liberty, the rest of Battery Park City and lower Manhattan—and connects to the imperatives of human use."

- Paul Goldberger, Architecture Critic, New York Times

 

Related Media

Wagner Park, From Concept to Construction
Stories

 
Previous
Previous

University of Texas Nursing and Biomedical Sciences Building

Next
Next

Town Green Building