The stones are stacked, the wooden stairs are planked and the plants are in the ground, but Teardrop Park South?the extension of the original little park into the wings of the luxury Riverhouse condos in Battery Park City?has yet to open. Last fall the word from the top was that the new Teardrop would open in November. Three months later the south entryway beneath the Riverhouse's billiards room (where buyers Leonardo DiCaprio and Tyra Banks no doubt rack 'em up nightly) remains blocked off by a stretch of cyclone fence. The north end along Warren Street is cluttered with equipment and a "Do Not Enter" message. But here's some good news: There won't be eternal darkness!
Because the new patch of park is surrounded on three sides by the high walls of the Riverhouse, light will come from three strategically placed adjustable mirrors?called "heliostats" and designed by Carpenter Norris Consulting?that sit atop the parapet of the building across the way and bounce the sun's rays down into the alcove of the park. Teardrop Park South has been designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the same team that put together the original award-winning Teardrop Park across Warren Street to the north (where raccoons recently roamed). Will overdue Teardrop open before Van Valkenburgh's overdue Brooklyn Bridge Park? Hordes of wildlife wait in the wings.
· We’ve still got work to do in B.P.C. [Downtown Express]
· Riverhouse coverage [Curbed]
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