We are proud to have intrepid fans, friends, peers, and colleagues who trammed, biked, and/or subway-ed themselves to Roosevelt Island (previously named Welfare, Blackwell, Manning's, and Hog Island - see this eye-opening historical timeline) last night for our Public Space Potluck - they encountered a significant amount of fencing, ominous empty hospitals (smallpox and a former insane asylum), and a confusing and not-so-welcoming park entrance (see the big sign saying "No Trespassing" below).
But - let me tell you - the reward was great (especially if you took the tram - what a feeling to be floating above Manhattan!). We shared a lovely meal, stunning views and amazing weather on a tiny tip of land in the middle of the East River. And we had it all to ourselves (save the one security guard who ended our evening a bit earlier than we had planned). What a gem of a spot to be enveloped by the city and all of its sights, sounds, natural elements and historic buildings.
We're happy to announce that the next Public Space Potluck is coming up, next Thursday, July 9th at 6:30pm. As many of you correctly guessed, this month we'll be investigating the public space on the oft-forgotten, historically rich, public space paradise of Roosevelt Island. We will meet on the Southern tip of the island, in Southpoint Park, and 11 acre oasis with views in all directions.
Just a hop-skip-and-a-tram away from Manhattan, Roosevelt Island is home to some fascinating NYC history, as well as beautiful parks that offer superb views of the city. More than 12,000 people inhabit the 2 mile long island, which was redeveloped in 1969 by the NY State Urban Development Corporation and architects Philip Johnson and Jon Burgee. At the time, the plan was visionary: a mixed income, traffic limited, residential community with visual and physical access to the waterfront. Most recently, the island received a boost from the Trust for Public Land to stabilize New York City's only landmarked ruin, the remains of the Smallpox Hospital, designed in 1854 by architect James Renwick, Jr. (the architect behind St. Patrick's Cathedral). This will be the scenic site for our potluck!
What: Design Trust Public Space Potluck: Roosevelt Island When: Thursday, July 9th, 6:30pm - Dark Where: Southpoint Park, Roosevelt Island Who: Everyone is welcome! RSVP is appreciated: rsvp@designtrust.org
As always, the Design Trust will provide the essentials: plates, utensils, cups, etc. We ask that guests bring with them a dish or drink to share. Feel free to invite your friends and spread the word!
To get to Roosevelt Island: By Tram: Running every 15 minutes (7 minutes during rush hour), the tram reaches 250 feet above the East River. Board the tram at 59th Street and 2nd Ave -- the fare is the same as a subway ride and you can use your Metrocard. When you exit the tram, walk south along Main Street until you reach the entrance to the park.
By Subway: Take the F train to Roosevelt Island. Walk south along Main Street until you reach the entrance to the park.
By Bike/Car: From Queens, via the Roosevelt Island Bridge at 36th Avenue and Vernon Blvd.
In the event of rain, the event will be rescheduled. We will make an announcement via email to those that have RSVP'd and also post on the blog.
Mark your calendars! Back by popular demand, the next Design Trust Public Space Potluck will be happening next Thursday, July 9th at 6:30pm.
We'll be announcing the exact location on Wednesday, but for now, here's a hint: If you know the location of this satellite image, you know the location of the potluck! The first 3 people to RSVP with the correct location will receive an "I (heart) Public Space" totebag. Email your answer to rsvp@designtrust.org, and stay tuned for more details.
[Jose Serrano, a huge beaver that lives in the river, waddles upstream as the tide comes in. This sighting was below the East Tremont bridge at Drew Gardens, where we put in the canoes and the model.]
[The model floated on a few hundred plastic and very buoyant 2-liter bottles.]
There was something poetic and romantic about taking this model of the river down the river, which was clearly intentional. As someone pointed out to me at the Grand Concourse potluck dinner, it was sort of like making a giant gingerbread house, then eating it. (This guy was hungry.) But the model's beauty extended beyond the float downriver. It is constructed entirely out of found materials from South Bronx neighborhoods: Plastic bottles, busted umbrellas, Tropicana cartons, window frames, twigs, bark, aluminum cans, broken glass, Metrocards, string, wire, fabric. Streets, subway lines, the future Bronx River Greenway and highways are represented, in addition to the river itself. Hundreds of pounds of discarded material tied, glued and stapled into a surprisingly stormworthy and fully-floatational 40' long object.
[After being created at various schools, the model was assembled and made to float in donated warehouse space in Mott Haven.]
[Model detail]
The watershed model represents an area of New York City dominated by a network of highways, elevated trains and street traffic unrivaled in intensity. Yet from the surface of the Bronx River--a natural feature largely uncompromised by this infrastructure--Cross Bronx Expressway on-ramps, Bruckner Expressway overpasses and elevated Amtrak and MTA tracks are actually a pleasure to encounter. You have time look at how they were built, how they connect with the surrounding landscape, and how they deal with the river itself. This was the central point of Bronx River Crossing: to give participating students a chance to see and creatively model their surroundings--built and natural--around the river.
Passing through several neighborhoods and even the Bronx Zoo, the Bronx River has been the focus of community-building and environmental justice efforts in the South Bronx for many years. The Bronx River Greenway plan and new Hunt's Point Riverside Park and Concrete Plant Park show that connections to the river are possible and desirable. Its often easy to romanticize about something like the Bronx River if you live in New York. I'm reminded of this when a colleague sharing our office space (and an original member of the Bronx River Alliance) said to me , "Do you know how much raw sewage has gone up that river?" Its not pristine yet, but that's not what makes it interesting. What seemed the most interesting was how you can experience built works from a level of remove and not as a user, and still be on the ground (or water in this case).
[A view downriver; the river was dredged into more of an industrial canal towards its eartern terminus.]
[Street view of Hunts Point Auto Parts; the river is behind the property.]
[River view of Hunts Point Auto Parts]
Bronx River Crossing happened on a misty day during this strange monsoon season we're having. The gray day made the green vegetation really pop. The model and canoe flotilla floated past crumbling walls, steel trusses, auto body shops, mounds of recycling material, an ABC Carpet & Home warehouse and Concrete Plant Park, followed by a real concrete plant. We saw catfish, eel, egret and even Jose Serrano, the famous Bronx River beaver. Its not hard to imagine you are floating through a neglected city in a distant future, overgrown and quiet as it is.
[Passing under the Amtrak bridge; an Acela train crossed the bridge ten minutes after we were there.]
[Amtrak bridge.]
[6 train passing by a neglected former Amtrak building designed by Cass Gilbert.]
[A giant claw works on a mound of recycling material at the Sims Recycling Facility next door to Hunt's Point Riverside Park, our destination.]
At the end of the day we pulled into the pier at Hunt's Point Riverside Park in a light rain. Huddled under umbrellas on the dock, a dozen or so people gave a brief, wet reception before trudging home. The river was smooth as glass. Someone mentioned that the tide was going out. On the opposite bank, dense trees foregrounded several housing projects, softened by the drizzle. Opposite a rusty steel fence, the recycling facility next door noisily conducted the business of dealing with three borough's worth of discarded stuff. Bobbing next to the pier, the model looked very at home.
Last night's Public Space Potluck and Walking Tour of the Grand Concourse was a great success! About fifty people showed up to listen to lifelong Bronx resident Sam Goodman of the Bronx Borough President's Office give a thoroughly informative tour of several buildings on the Grand Concourse between 174th and 164th Streets. Sam brought us through lobbies and courtyards, describing each building in the context of the economic, social and design history of the Concourse. Very special thanks to Sam Goodman for giving us such a wonderful tour. Dinner followed the tour next to the Lorelei Fountain in Joyce Kilmer Park--across from the Bronx County Courthouse (which has a big green roof), and within earshot of Yankee Stadium (which has no roof). We were happy to meet and hang out with members of our event collaborators, WNYC and Urban Omnibus, as well as friends from the Architectural League, Swayspace, Ten Mississippi, Transportation Alternatives and many others--thanks so much to everyone for coming out!
What do solar power, sewing machines, scraps materials and shopping have in common? If you had passed by Union Square this past Sunday, you would have found Elliott Montgomery, and you would know.
Elliott is a resourceful and super-creative industrial designer who explores the capability of designed artifacts and experiences to prompt behavioral change toward sustainable living. This Sunday he staged a sustainability-oriented performance piece at the south end of Union Square entitled The Microcycle Project. Originally created as part of Solar One's mobile outreach project, "I Heart PV," the project aims to compress the life cycle footprint of an artifact to just a few city blocks, and encourages participants to think about the waste materials in their local surroundings that could be reused.
Images of the Microcycle Project courtesy of Elliott Montgomery.
Elliott set up a solar powered manufacturing station, including four photo voltaic panels and four sewing machines, and with a team of trusty volunteers, converted scrap fabric from a nearby design house into shopping bags for use at local stores. Passersby were encouraged to consider the waste materials in their neighborhoods, and were offered a bag from the project in exchange for their knowledge of a viable waste stream. Each new waste stream was plotted on a map of New York, and will be posted online as an opensource database of materials for future MicroCycle setups. The MicroCycle map will be available at epmid.com this summer. In the meantime, check out this video about the project, produced by Rick Wake.
So, what do the Microcycle Project and the Design Trust's Reinventing Grand Army Plaza Exhibit have in common? If you guessed solar power, you're right (the exhibit cubes were lit at night by solar panels) -- but if you guess recycling old materials to make new bags, you're also right.
When Elliott told me about his project, I was reminded of two other crafty and resourceful individuals who have made a business out of recycling materials. In fact, thanks to the help of Brian Hawkins at DCM Fabrication, the Design Trust's Reinventing Grand Army Plaza Exhibit became part of this recycling chain -- and now you can own a piece of the exhibit, in the form of a bag.
After the Reinventing Grand Army Plaza Exhibit closed last fall, Brian had the brilliant idea to donate the printed vinyl that was used to make the exhibit cubes to a couple of independent bag makers, Fabric Horse and R.E.Load for them to transform into functional pieces of art.
The Basket Bag by Fabric Horse, made from the Reinventing Grand Army Plaza Exhibit, is available for purchase at www.fabrichorse.com
Carrie Collins founded Fabric Horse in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2003. It began while she was studying Industrial Design at the University of Cincinnati. Since then, FH has relocated to Philadelphia where it has grown into one of the city's most vibrant small businesses, hand sewing utility belts, fancy fannies, spats, bags, costumes and everything in between. I met Carrie recently at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, and I was amazed at the quality of her work. Every piece that Fabric Horse produces is made from scratch by Carrie and her business partner, Mary, in their Chinatown, Philadelphia studio.
When Carrie received the Reinventing Grand Army Plaza vinyl, she saw an opportunity not only to recycle this unique material, but also to provide assistance to another group of industrious ladies, in St. Thomas, Jamaica. Proceeds from the sale of these basket bags (they have a hard wooden bottom and don't slouch, perfect for use in your bicycle basket) go to support the Johns Town Womens Craft Cooperative, where women work together to gather new skills, learn how to establish a viable business enterprise and create beautiful handcrafted items. Each bag is made to order, and quantities are limited to the amount of Reinventing Grand Army Plaza vinyl available -- order your's today!
The Civillian 4 bag by R.E.Load, made from the Reinventing Grand Army Plaza Exhibit is available at www.reloadbags.com.
Similarly (and also located in Philadelphia), R.E.Load is a messenger bag company with an environmental conscience. Born in 1998 by two bike messengers on a mission to make more durable and sustainable messenger bags, R.E.Load uses recycled vinyl to make custom, hand made bags in multiple sizes. The messenger bags that R.E.Load created are durable and a great investment, not to mention a little piece of history. As each panel from the Reinveinting Grand Army Plaza Exhibit was unique, no two bags are the same.
Next time you see a piece of scrap material ready for the dumpster, think again. Log on to epmid.com and add it to the materials map, or contact Carrie at Fabric Horse or Ellie at R.E.Load, and put that material to good use!
(photo of a subway mosaic by Tim Snell, courtesy of circlebackstudio on flickr.)
Unfortunately, mother nature did not have our walking tour of the Grand Concourse and Public Space Potluck on her calendar today. While the skies are not looking so bad right now, the weather forecast is calling for thunder storms at 7pm, which would make for an awfully soggy urban adventure.
Therefore, the potluck and walking tour of the Grand Concourse has been rescheduled for next Tuesday, June 16th. The walking tour will begin at 6:30pm and the potluck dinner will start at 7:30pm — full details are below. Thank you for your understanding and sorry for any inconvenience. We hope to see you next week, in the Bronx!
The Grand Concourse: Walking Tour and Public Space Potluck New Date: Tuesday, June 16th Brought to you by Urban Omnibus, the Design Trust for Public Space, and WNYC
Walking Tour: 6:30pm Meet at 171st Street on and the Grand Concourse (B train to 170th, exit the station at 171st street, north west side of the street). Led by Deborah Marton, Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space, and lifelong Bronx resident Sam Goodman of the Bronx Borough President’s Office.
Public Space Potluck: 7:30pm Meet at the statue in Joyce Kilmer Park, just north of 161st Street and the Grand Concourse. (4, B, D train to 161st St - Yankee Stadium). Bring along some friends, and food and drink to share in this 107 year old park on the Grand Concourse.
We are going to create a new RSVP list for the event, so please email rsvp@designtrust.org to let us know if you can attend. The walking tour will be limited to 50 guests, while the Potluck is open to all.
The Design Trust for Public Space is dedicated to improving the design, utility, and understanding of New York City's parks, plazas, streets, and public buildings. As the only New York City organization devoted to bringing private sector expertise to bear on public space issues, we generate powerful working relationships that enrich the urban experience for all New Yorkers by making the city more sustainable, functional, and available to all.
What We Do
Each year, the Design Trust selects research and design projects from across the five boroughs. These projects are at the earliest stage, when targeted expertise can transform critical policy and development decisions. Sponsored projects receive funding, project planning, and ongoing advocacy efforts.
Why We Blog
In order to keep you informed about current Design Trust projects and public space issues, Design Trust staff have decided to don our writing caps and venture into the mighty Blog Kindgom. We're no professionals, but as we aspire to blog greatness we hope to create an open forum for sharing ideas and encourage your involvement in NYC public space issues. Please note that our personal opinions reflected in this blog are not the official position of the Design Trust. For official news and information, go to the website. Thanks,and happy reading!
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