Battery Park City

Located in lower Manhattan along the Hudson River, Battery Park City is an expansive waterfront plaza adjacent to the World Financial Center. Collaborating with architect Cesar Pelli, and sculptors Siah Armagani and Scott Burton, MPFP designed and developed the plaza as the “new town in town”. As New York City’s first waterfront plaza, Battery Park City is an exceptional public open space with a presence and impact that persists to this day.

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Incorporating the preexisting mile-long esplanade that lay north and south of the site, MPFP anticipated and harnessed the potential spatial impact of Battery Park City. This understanding is reflected in the three-part hierarchy of the site. Adjacent to the buildings, two linear terraces look out onto the plaza and the Hudson River. Canopied by allées of London Plane trees with cafe seating, each terrace is bordered by a linear fountain that gently delineates use. In conversation with the existing esplanade, the mid-level terrace steps down and offers additional seating nooks that look out into the plaza. To the south, a verdant English-style garden with meandering pathways gives contrast to the paved areas of the plaza. As the keystone and gateway to the plaza, the Wintergarden is an expressive interior extension of the plaza within the World Financial Center - lofty ceilings, large Washingtonia palm trees, and a grand staircase that looks out onto the plaza complete a long-standing civic asset to New York City.  

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