The Battery
The Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan is one of New York’s most heavily-used parks, and the site of the ferry service to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. This reconstruction project transformed the Battery from a worn, formal Moses-era park into a world-class park and the premiere public open space in Lower Manhattan. Working closely with NYC Parks and the Battery Park Conservancy, QRP led a large team of architects, engineers, traffic consultants, lighting designers, graphic artists, historic monument conservators, archeologists and arborists. The work focuses on creating a pastoral perimeter bikeway; reducing unnecessary paths to create large, contiguous lawns and wooded areas; establishing a dedicated, large public assembly area; and relocating monuments to the perimeter of the site. The 12‑acre redesign includes the two‑acre Battery Oval lawn accommodating 9,000 people, a curvilinear bikeway linking Hudson and East River waterfronts, a Monument Walk consolidating 10 relocated monuments, and extensive tree preservation and stormwater infiltration measures.
Millions of people, tourists and New Yorkers alike, visit the Battery each year, some to board a ferry, visit the memorials and urban farm, stroll the Bosque Gardens and waterfront promenade and take in the magnificent views of NY Harbor with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and others on their daily commute. This user diversity has resulted in conflicts in the past, and QRP began the design with a careful study of park users and existing and proposed features to resolve these issues and improve the park experience for all.
Location
Manhattan, NY
Client
NYC Department of Parks & Recreation & Battery Conservancy
Role
Landscape Architect
Team
Starr Whitehouse
McLaren Engineering Group
Piet Oudolf
Tillett Lighting Design
Weisz +Yoes Architecture
Superstructures
Northern Designs
Doyle Partners
BFJ Planning
Joan Geismar
Photography Credit: The Battery Conservancy
