The Tallest of Them All: Progress on Outlook Hill
Feb 11, 2015 7:43 pm
You know we are working hard on the next phase of the new park on Governors Island – The Hills! But first, a little background for those of you who may not remember: The Hills are the next phase of the new park and open space. You might recall we knocked down some old, derelict buildings on the South Island to make way for them (check out this awesome visualization of the building demo and Hills construction for a refresher). When they are complete, the Hills will highlight the transformation that has taken place south of Liggett Hall. Ranging up to 70 feet in height with panoramic views of New York Harbor, the four Hills (Grassy, Slide, Discovery and Outlook) will be a place in New York unlike any other. In addition to the spectacular views, the Hills pay homage to the lush, hilly landscapes of pre-colonial Manhattan, and will fortify the Island’s resiliency in the face of rising sea levels. Currently, we are working on building Outlook Hill, the tallest of the four. We are placing the heavy and lightweight fill (dirt and pumice), which makes up the substance of the Hill. In fact, we have placed so much fill that Outlook is already 20 feet tall –that’s more than ¼ of the way there! [caption id=“attachment_7894” align=“aligncenter” width=“660”]
Discovery Hill from the top of the Outlook site.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_7898” align=“aligncenter” width=“660”]
A view of our hard working construction team building Outlook Hill in the snow.[/caption] We know you like options so we have also begun work on our “Granite Scramble”, one of the coolest features on Outlook Hill. Once the scramble is built and the Hills are open to the public, you’ll have the option to meander up Outlook on one of the paths, or to “scramble” (aka climb) up the granite that will run up one side of the Hill. [caption id=“attachment_7897” align=“aligncenter” width=“660”]
Sorting granite blocks in preparation to build the “Granite Scramble” on Outlook Hill.[/caption] To get an idea of what the Hills will look like when they are finished, check out these spectacular renderings of The Hills by West 8.