City officials cut the ribbon for rebuilt Old Slip park

As part of the city's downtown open-space initiative launched in 2003, the park at Old Slip and Water Street is now in full bloom. The park officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 15, led by Parks & Recreation Dept. Commissioner Adrian Benepe, alongside Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) President Stefan Pryor, Dept. of Design and Construction (DDC) Deputy Commissioner John Pusz, and Dept. of Transportation (DOT) Lower Manhattan Commissioner Steven Weber.

During the ceremony, Benepe touted the park as an example of multiple city agencies collaborating to achieve a single goal. For this project, DDC and DOT crews reconstructed the utility infrastructure below the park and adjacent streets, while Parks' teams rebuilt and replanted the space at grade.

Benepe and Pryor announced $20 million in additional LMDC funding to the Parks Dept. to create and restore more open spaces downtown in the coming years. "It's going to be a real garden spot," said Benepe.

The design of the Old Slip green space, located beside the Police Museum in the Financial District, was inspired by the shape of a police badge, and includes a fountain, benches, colored pavers, and new plantings. The $400,000 project was funded by the LMDC and carried out by Trocom Construction.