Author Archives: andrewoneill79

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK GEARS UP FOR A FACELIFT

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Written by: Andrew O’Neill | June 12, 2013

Since the first ferry landing opened in 1642, Brooklyn Bridge Park has experienced a lot of traffic and transformations.  The latest transformation underway is the highly controversial hotel and residential project, in which units are expected to be available for purchasing this Fall.

The Brooklyn Bridge Park project is just another piece of the Brooklyn’s waterfront facelift.  The Brooklyn waterfront consists of two miles of once dilapidated land until the redevelopment project started a decade ago.  Some of the more talked about redevelopment projects underway in Brooklyn, can be seen in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.  Once the whole project is completed, people will have easy accessibility to Brooklyn’s waterfront. Additionally, there will be 4.5 million square feet of new office space and 8,500 new residential units.  

  

This new residential project is being designed by Rogers Marvel Architects and the building contract was earned by The Toll Brothers and Starwood Capital.  The complex which totals a massive 550,000 square feet, will consist of a 200 room hotel,( owned by 1 Hotel) A residential building housing 159 condo’s, called the Pierhouse, 16,000 square feet of restaurant space and 3,000 square feet of retail space.

Additionally, there will be a new maintenance space for park upkeep, restrooms for people visiting the park, farmers market and 300 parking spaces.    

This project is expected to create 200 permanent jobs, 300 constructions jobs and is expected to generate 119.7 million dollars, in which some of that revenue will be allocated to maintaining the historic park.  Completion is expected sometime in 2015.   

MoMA’s RainRoom has enthusiasts pouring in

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“Being able to control the rain makes you feel like a God,” stated one spectator as art enthusiasts battled the long lines to witness MoMA’s PS1 exhibit titled the Rain Room.  The exhibit is located on 54th St. between 5th and 6th Ave in a lot across from The Museum of Modern Art.

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The Rain Room has taken Manhattan by storm and shows no signs of weakening.

Random International is responsible for this masterpiece.  Motivated by climate and political change, the artists created an exhibit that gives people a chance to feel Divine, allowing them to control the rain.  3D cameras detect people’s positions in the room, turning each of its indoor rain streams on and off when it detects movement.  The rain room works most efficiently when ten or less people are on the platform, giving visitors the ultimate experience.

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However, don’t move too fast while inside the room, otherwise you will be visiting the local souvenir stand for a dry outfit.  This Rain Room exhibit covers more than 5,000 sqft. and recycles and filters approximately 1100 gallons of water every minute.  Even though you don’t leave the exhibit completely dry, visitors still have the opportunity to experience this great exhibit and take in some fascinating pictures as well.

The Rain Room has drawn lots of attention.  Maybe more than the Museum was expecting.  Yesterday unknown VIP members came to visit the Rain Room, sending patrons and security into a frenzy.  The exhibit was closed for more than hour in order to cater to the needs of these important guests.  At first, the museum staff was under strict advisement to keep this a secret.  However, the secret was eventually let out and the rest of the patrons on line expressed their concerns to the staff.  One staff member admitted to the audience that this was first time during his tenure that the museum encountered this problem, and that they are creating a new security protocol in order to prevent potential chaos in the future.

As for us average visitors, admission to the exhibit is on a first come, first serve basis and there is generally a two to five hour wait time but according to most visitors the wait is definitely worth it.