40-year-old sculpture demolished as part of Battery Park urban resiliency project
A large 40-year-old art sculpture in Battery Park City is being demolished to make way for the controversial North/West Battery Park Urban Renewal (NWBPCR) project.
The sculpture is called upstairs roomThe 20-column courtyard, designed by artist Ned Smyth, features a slender table inlaid with a chessboard. The colonnade is reminiscent of ancient architecture and provides a public respite for New Yorkers. Opened in 1986, it was Battery Park City’s first public art work.
Just last year, the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) released a video integrating artists and sculptures into the New York landscape.
Crews began removing the sculpture Wednesday as part of a larger resiliency plan to integrate coastal flood barrier management systems to better withstand natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy, which caused $310 million in damage to Battery Park City. It will stretch along the Hudson Riverfront from First Place to Chambers Street.
The project would also close North Bay Terminal, the city’s most expensive port, for five years. new york post According to reports, local sailors have received mixed reviews.
Smith’s sculpture was previously valued at $1.5 million by the BPCA, and he and nearby residents were dissatisfied with the outcome.
“I have lived in Battery Park City for 31 years, and in those 31 years not a drop of water from the Hudson River has reached within ten feet of the bottom of this unit, so the idea that this piece of art has to be removed for flood control is ridiculous,” John Dellaportas, vice president of the Battery Alliance, told the outlet. new york post.
the ground below upstairs room It is expected to become a tidal gate. It is the only piece of commissioned public art that will be removed to make way for the NWBPCR project.
Although Smith was reportedly warned of the impending demolition by the BPCA two years ago and wondered why the sculpture couldn’t be relocated, the BPCA claimed the sculpture showed signs of damage and would be difficult to move.
“Unfortunately, upstairs room It must be demolished to allow for necessary flood control work to protect life and property in Battery Park City and beyond. While we have been communicating this to the community and Mr. Smyth for over a year, we know that this piece is an indelible part of Battery Park City’s history and, as its first public art work, is a foundational piece in the BPC’s 19-piece collection by more than 20 artists,” a BPCA spokesperson said in a statement.
In addition to Smith’s sculpture, hundreds of trees will also be razed.
This kind of trade-in architecture is not unique to New York. Recently, another famous statue in San Francisco suffered a similar fate, with the Brutalist Vailncourt Fountain being removed during renovations to Embarcadero Plaza.
