Dumbo NYC

In March, the Dumbo Improvement District (DUMBO BID) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for design schemes and ideas that re-envision the public space known as the Pearl Street Triangle from professional architects and designers that reside or work in Dumbo.

Once a parking lot and illegal dumping site, the DUMBO BID with NYC DOT, opened the transformed Pearl Street Triangle on August 8, 2007, complete with its signature bright green paint, street furniture and public art features as a temporary treatment to gage the community’s response and usage of the space. In the three years since, the DUMBO BID is looking towards future uses of the public space and hopes that this competition will spur some thought on how the Pearl Street Triangle should evolve as an innovative and functional public space for Dumbo.

They showcased 8 design proposals in May. Last night, the DUMBO BID announced the winner of the Pearl Street Triangle “Ideas Competition.” The winner was by Brendan Coburn, AIA of Coburn Architecture (based at 45 Main Street) and his project designers, Yuliya Ilizarov and Abdou Ndoye titled “The Tracks: Ride the Rails!”

Project Name: The Tracks: Ride the Rails!
Description: The Tracks plaza takes it’s inspiration from the myriad of rail lines that at one time weaved their way through the industrial streets of DUMBO. As these tracks emerge from beneath the pavement surrounding the triangle they become the armature for a series of tiered seats that wind through the site to create three amphitheater-like spaces: the first, facing the Manhattan Bridge, is delineated by seating for films projected onto the masonry wall that encloses the arch beneath the bridge; the second, a performance and display space enclosed by two opposing tiers; and the third, where a low tier hugs a series of in-ground fountains. Shallow alcoves are molded underneath the higher tiers, welcoming local artists to display their creations.

All of the submissions were interesting and had a different spin on the use of the public space. There was even one that proposed adding a subway stop at the Manhattan Bridge anchor above the Triangle with an elevator/stairs down below. How do you think the space should be used? Other submissions after the jump.
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As we previously posted, the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) started work in Dumbo – water and sewer enhancements and the Department of Transportation (DOT) started the renovation projects for both bridges that anchor our neighborhood- the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. We received the latest report today from the DDC on the street reconstruction in Dumbo. The construction work is on-time and scheduled to be completed in the Summer 2011. (See PDF newsletter).

Separately, the DOT has been preparing for the Brooklyn Bridge facelift- a new paint job, deck resurfacing, and rehabilitation and widening of the bridge’s ramps and approaches. The $500million, 4 year project will begin in June. The $150million Manhattan Bridge construction will “replace all of the vertical suspension cables on the 100-year-old Manhattan Bridge and will cause sporadic weekend disruptions in subway service and require closings of the bikeway and some traffic lanes for parts of the next four years”.

Several roads (Water Street from Adams to Old Fulton Streets and Washington Street from York to Plymouth Streets) are being dug up to install water and sewer mains so the area has updated infrastructure. The crews and their vehicles are staged in two locations under the Brooklyn Bridge – near the intersection of Front St and York and in the lot next to Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park. Work is scheduled to continue through 2011 for the street reconstruction project. They are hard at work, but some residents are not happy that they start before the permitted start time of 7am, with refueling and moving of equipment starting as early as 6:15am and also occurring on Saturdays, when work is not allowed. If you have any difficulties or questions about the work, you can contact the following:

DOT Liaison for water and sewer work. Oversees Tully Construction, the contractor that parks their vehicles at Front and York.
Paul Kidder 718.643.2768

DOT Liaison for Brooklyn Bridge work.
Sabrina Lau 347.647.0876

DOT Liaison for Manhattan Bridge work.
Teresa Toro 347.325.1622

The contact number for Tully is 718.446.7000 ext 8. Fred Hartman is the manager for the work in Dumbo.

Residents “welcome that funding has been secured to update our roads and bridges, but parking and traffic on the bridge will be a challenge for the next few years.” We have noticed a lot less parking spots on the streets, so visitors and residents will have to park in lots or even park in neighboring areas such as Vinegar Hill and downtown Brooklyn. With street and bridge construction (and Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park reconstruction), it’s a wonder how many visitors still visit Dumbo.

Previously:
{Notice: Cars Parked on Dock Street, 12Apr2010}
{Water Street Reconstruction Update (Mar/Apr 2010), 10Mar2010}
{Water/Washington St Reconstruction Project Update, 03Dec2009}
{Belgian Block Reconstruction to Begin, 04May2009}

(Photo courtesy of bekka p. from the DumboNYC Flickr Pool. If you have your own pictures related to Dumbo, please feel free to drop them there.)

(Photo courtesy of Josh Derr from the DumboNYC Flickr Pool. If you have your own pictures related to Dumbo, please feel free to drop them there.)

Someone is climbing the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo. As seen on Twitter @tim_nolan. (Follow @DumboNYC on Twitter.)

According to a NY Post story, the noisiest places in NYC are on the F, V, B, D platform in Bryant Park (93 decibels), the corner of 42nd and 5th Ave (87 dBA), West Side Highway (83 dBA), or Herald Square (78 dBA). WHAT?! Maybe the people who did the study didn’t go outside of Manhattan, because supposedly, the noise level is between 80 dBA and up to 96 dBA under the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo.

{Noisiest spots in NYC ranked, 04Jan2010, NY Post}
{The Top 8 Noisiest Places in NYC, Gothamist}
{Soundproofing Windows in Dumbo, 03Dec2007}

(Photo by Josh Derr)

“… In celebration of the centennial of Manhattan Bridge — On Saturday, October 24, 2009 along Pearl, Water and Front Streets in Brooklyn, provocative images by visual artist Patrick Singh will be projected on the buttress wall of the Manhattan Bridge. Since 1997, Singh’s career has been punctuated by international exhibitions – collective and individual – along with artistic residencies throughout Europe, South America and Asia. Singh’s work is exhibited in multiple collections, including the Anne Cros Gallery in France.

His visions come to life under his brush with out his using models. Sudden appearances resulting from his intercultural journeys, which have impregnated him with indelible words, mental photographs, feelings of torment ….”

Viewing will begin at 7 p.m.

Manhattan Bridge Fast Facts
Type of bridge: Suspension
Construction started: October 1, 1901
Opened to traffic: December 31, 1909
Length of main span: 1,470 ft.
Total length of bridge including approaches: 6,855 ft.
Location: Connects Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn with Canal Street in Chinatown
Clearance at center above mean high water: 135 ft.
Diameter of each of the four main cables: 21.25 ins.
Length of each of the four main cables: 3,224 ft.
Cost of original structure: $31,000,000

Press Release (PDF)

(Photo credit: Lee Wells, still from “Manhattan Bridge in Red, Green and Blue” for Bright Nights projection)

To commemorate the 100th birthday of the Manhattan Bridge, Random Number is presenting “Bright Nights” has “curated a program of digital artwork that celebrates the projected image, draws attention to the iconic architecture of the Manhattan Bridge, and electrifies the arts friendly DUMBO neighborhood.” Please join them tonight in Dumbo, Brooklyn to see the work of Burak Arikan, Motomichi Nakamura, Lee Wells, and Marius Watz projected onto the Manhattan Bridge Anchorage (Adams & Front Street side.)

October 7, 2009 / 7 pm – 10 pm

For more information on the artists and the event, go to RandomNumber.nu.

Although The Archway has been open for some time, the Dumbo Improvement District has completed their ‘beautification’ with lighting, benches, and street improvements. Wooden benches have been added and the lighting has been installed and painted black. The images above show the architect’s rendering and the actual photo from last week’s Superstar DJ Record Fair. The end results look very similar to what was envisioned. While the Dumbo Improvement District has completed The Archway improvements, they will continue to support the longer-term restoration of the archway, maintenance, and programming costs. We’re looking forward to more events under The Archway.

(Apologies for borrowing the idea of rendering/reality, as pointed out by Curbed’s post about The Archway)

related:
{Manhattan Bridge Archway Opens in Dumbo, 08Sep2008}
{Manhattan Bridge Arch Now Open Permanently, 20Apr2009}