Peck Slip has a long maritime history, serving as an East River slip used by boats to dock until 1810. In fact, Peck Slip once offered George Washington and his troops protection as they fled from the Battle of Brooklyn. More recently, it was used as a fish market parking lot until the Fulton Fish Market relocated to the Bronx in 2005.
On April 24th, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a design for a park at Peck Slip that strikes a delicate compromise between a lush green park and a stone "piazza" more in keeping with the area's maritime past. The decision ended a year-long debate that reached an impasse in March when the Parks Department presented a design to Community Board 1 that called for a plaza meant to evoke a "ghost ship."
Summary
The call to redesign Peck Slip, which covers the portion of the Slip from Water to South Streets has been ongoing since the Fulton Fish Market left the area. The present design plans call for a vaguely boat-shaped plaza that broadens as it approaches South Street. This plaza is smaller than in the original design, and plantings and trees have been expanded on the west. Steel "rib" elements, which some had complained were "uninviting," will now be covered in wood. The rest of the design, including a small pool of water at the plaza's "prow," and granite block laid in a manner meant to evoke a flowing stream, would remain unchanged.
