VOLUME 24, NUMBER 52
MAY 30-JUNE 12, 2012
LANDMARKS COMMISSION APPROVES PIER 17 MAKEOVER B Y ALI NE REYNOLDS rchitects and historians appointed by the city have signed off on developer Howard Hughes Corporation’s plan to overhaul the outdated, landmarked Pier 17 in the South Street Seaport by 2015. At a public meeting in mid-May, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (L.P.C.) unanimously approved the developer’s proposal, which entails tearing down the pier’s existing mall that dates back to 1980 and reusing its steel and other materials to erect a modern shopping, food and arts center boasting views of the East River and the environs. In a written resolution, the commissioners agreed that the demolition of Pier 17 would be a welcome addition to the South Street Seaport and, despite its modern, commercial tendencies, that the new shopping mall wouldn’t tamper with the neighborhood’s historic fabric. According to the L.P.C. resolution on the pier, “The open nature of the base of the building will begin to restore connections between the district and
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Downtown Express photo by Milo Hess
One little girl dug trying on a U.S. Marine Band hat on this year’s opening day of Governors Island. See editorial, page 10.
Renovated Castle Williams debuts on Governors Island B Y T E RE SE LO E B K R E U Z E R eat and the threat of afternoon thunderstorms didn’t deter an estimated 12,000 people from visiting Governors Island on Sat., May 26, the opening day of the island’s 2012 season. Awaiting them were a family festival in Nolan Park with music, theater, dance and crafts, the 5Boro PicNYC in Colonels Row — consisting of craft beer, more than 20 food vendors and bluegrass music
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— and the monumental sculpture by Mark di Suvero, who is back on Governors Island for a second year. But for some people, the star attraction was the chance to see the inside of Castle Williams, which had been closed during a three-year renovation. The landmarked fort dates back to the early 1800s and was named after its designer, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Williams, a great-
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nephew of Benjamin Franklin, who shared some of his great-uncle’s scientific and engineering genius. Castle Williams and Fort Jay, a slightly older fort, are the core of the Governors Island National Monument, which make up approximately 23 acres of the 172-acre island under the jurisdiction of the U.S. National Park Service.
APTEKAR ANALYZES ICONS. Continued on page 19
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