In September 2010, the city Department of Parks and Recreation started the reconstruction of Montgomery Slip, near Pier 42 on the Lower East Side. It was transformed into a new, landscaped median that serves as a new pedestrian mall and shaded walkway in 2012.
Montgomery is one of three slips -- so named for the slips that were once located there, before the downtown shoreline was extended by landfill -- to be rebuilt with funding support from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.
Meanwhile, Rutgers and Catherine Slips also were rebuilt as new pedestrian malls. Catherine, the largest of the slip projects, was connected to the adjacent Tanahey Playground. Crews mobilized at Catherine Slip in winter 2010/2011, adding bollards along the perimeter that enclose new lawns, seating, lighting, and a walkway that leads to the East River Esplanade.
The beautification of Rutgers Slip will include cobblestone repaving and new plantings from South to Cherry Street. Work began there in November 2010 and finished in summer 2011.
For more information, click here to visit the Parks Department website, or call 311 or (212) NEW-YORK; or contact Lawrence Mauro at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation at (718) 760-6598.
Designs for all three slips take inspiration from their maritime history. The Catherine Slip project combines both contemporary landscaping with design language that celebrates the past. The slips’ streetscapes are an opportunity to reflect the changing Lower East Side neighborhood, as well as provide important connections to the East River Waterfront. Its character is sensitive to the thriving neighborhood and history, ensuring that these “gateways” or “vestibules” to the river become places of neighborhood pride and gatherings.
By closing down an underused street along the western edge of Tanahey Park, Catherine Slip becomes a group of small, vibrant neighborhood spaces beyond just enhanced and distinctive streetscape treatments. The “design language” includes a materials palette that conveys the past, present and future while considering durability and ease of maintenance. In addition to recreational areas, the lawns will function as sustainable biofilters -- directing and assisting in management of area rainwater. New seating is predominantly situated eastward towards the sculptural planting, Tanahey Park, and the East River Waterfront Esplanade beyond, while a historic narrative is conveyed with an interpretive plaque.
Catherine Slip’s connection to East River Waterfront Esplanade is established with the use of a three-tone hexagonal paver mix that is a variation of the proposed themes at East River Park. Pedestrian connections to the East River Waterfront are strengthened throughout the slip, helping clarify crosswalks.
Nearby, Montgomery Slip follows the design palette and connection to East River Waterfront Esplanade set by Catherine Slip. It creates a series of planted medians in the unused striped center of the street. The planters will be shaped as steel barges floating down the slope of the street, marching toward the East River and beyond.
Click here for answers to commonly asked construction questions.
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