With the pull of gravity and the often whispered fears of wandering the neighbourhoods of the Bronx on one's own, it is rare for me to catch the 4-Train headed North in New York. However, with news of a "significant [new] City park . . . open on the Bronx bank of the Harlem River", my dwindling chances to see the 'Tree Museum' (extended to 3 January 2009) that runs the length of the 'Champs D'elysees of New York' - more intimately known as the 'Grand Concourse' - were assuaged with a cold but brilliantly sunny day.
(Grand Concourse at Bronx Museum)
While continuing to strive to meet the laudable goal of replacing "every inch of parkland [and more?] displaced by the construction of the new Yankee Stadium" the City's redevelopment of this particular section of the Harlem River seems either misguided or in place for a plan that will successfully manifest itself in the distant future. With the Major Deegan Expressway looming above (6 at-grade lanes beneath) and a big box development - Gateway Centre at the Bronx Terminal Market (an oxymoron at best) - to the north, the 145th street bridge to the south, and an existing train trestle that floats above the water enough to feel like an immediate impediment to one's view to Manhattan,
Mill Pond Park seems isolated and out of place. Without the preexisting knowledge this place, in fact, existed, in addition to the trusty guidance of google maps on my iphone I'm sure most would be unwilling or unable to seek this as a place of refuge or recreation.
(Mill Pond Park - View to MD Expressway and Gateway Centre)
Master planned and schematically designed by Rogers Marvel Architects, the link between this project and the other the redevelopment sites throughout the area seem a stretch at best. Apart from contractors touching up the concrete beneath the "outdoor classroom" (an interesting but rather predictable T. Balsley intervention) I was the only one here enjoying the sunny aspect the site is afforded, offset from the canyons of Manhattan nearly a stone's throw across the River.
(Outdoor Classroom/Shade Structure)
Trolling the streetscape adjacent the park beneath the decaying steel ceiling of the Major Deegan Expressway one is quick to observe the lack of human traffic here. Whether it was the six lanes of traffic and parking, a lack of building articulation or animation, including street trees, or the fact that Applebee's needed to populate their false frontage with mannequins pretending to converse over plastic dinners, it was clear that this stretch was a clear and present danger to the popularity of this park. The brutalness of this streetscape was further exemplified by an attempt to paint over the artwork that once adorned the expressway's structural columns.
(Beneath the MD Expressway)
(Dining Mannequins and False Frontage)
(Dwindling Local Traces)
Seemingly programmed to accommodate a well-balanced cross-section of activities I am particularly warmed by the number of barbecues that stand amidst the gravel picnic area - an area that in time and with luck will become a more humanized alternative to dining in the neighbourhood. Circuitous paths that ebb and flow with the undulating shoreline and restored (?) estuaries do make for a pleasant stroll on a sunny day. While the craftsmanship is questionable in many areas throughout the park, what strikes me as more curious is the seemingly random placement of site amenities. Faux wood decks (made from recycled plastic) are scattered along the shoreline of the park calling for adirondack-style furniture or chaise lounges for summertime tanning. While falling short of a precarious but desirable extension over the water, allusion to a pier-like structure is made by some. Others frustrate the user and have been ostracized from use behind shoreline plantings.
(Picnic Area)
('Pier')
(Errant 'Pier')
Perhaps the saving grace of the park's apparent lack of people will be the restoration of the park’s historic Power House. An attractive building that absorbs and re-radiates the sun's colour and warmth, this facility promises year-round programming to the park environment and facilities. Not only will it sport a green roof, rendering it a living counterpoint along the otherwise hardened landscape of the Major Deegan Expressway above, it will serve as the last built reminder of what the Bronx Terminal Market once was.
(Powerhouse)
A tourist (seriously debating if I'll ever be considered a 'local') with an agenda to consume places and spaces, I find myself becoming increasingly obsessed with uncovering everything about this City. While serving as fodder for conversation with native New Yorkers (at least within the design community, but also beyond) I find the openness and willing support of public art, development, and public amenity/open space (certainly slow to come in less-than-desirable areas of town) refreshing on a scale that is so foreign to my career and life in Vancouver. Perhaps this will run its course in due time, but for now I continue to enjoy the journey and remain curious.
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