A Long Island City street with an unusual, ancient impediment has been transformed from a derelict strip of concrete into a vibrant pedestrian plaza.
The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) has partnered with developer the VOREA Group to overhaul a stretch of 12th Street between 44th Avenue and 43rd Road, where through traffic was previously prohibited by a glacial rock formation. The partnership came to be through the Street Seats program, a citywide effort that converts underused streets into public spaces.
The geological quirk left the street, which originally lacked pedestrian sidewalks, in a sort of limbo; it couldn’t easily be accessed by the public, so was previously used as employee parking for a local company. Enter VOREA, which owns properties along the street, and who applied to work with the city to turn the block into a pedestrian oasis in a largely industrial swath of the Queens neighborhood. Now, instead of functioning as an obstacle, the rock formation and its history serves as a focal point.
“That was the vision we had with the developer, to highlight that as a unique element within the space,” says Samantha Dolgoff, the director of strategic initiatives with DOT. “We didn’t want the rock to just be there. We wanted it be more prominent in the space.”
Designed by MAPOS Architecture and Design, the spacious Street Seat creates a pedestrian-friendly environment with outdoor seating and planters. Bright blue paint outlines the glacial rock and is used for striping, lending a vibrant pop of color to the space. Its design was inspired by Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 1983 “Surrounding Islands” installation, where 11 small, uninhabited islands were surrounded by 6.5 million square feet of hot pink fabric in Miami.
The block will also offer a space for displaying artwork crafted by local artists and makers.
“Our goal was to use art as a vehicle to celebrate the unique history of LIC and help breathe new life into this incredible, creative pocket of the neighborhood,” says Adam Joly of VOREA.
The Street Seat is the second to be rolled out in Queens—16 were installed in the city last year in Manhattan and Brooklyn—and DOT hopes more will apply through the program so that additional underutilized spaces throughout the borough can be revitalized.
Transportation officials and VOREA hope the community will take advantage of the space not only on lunch breaks and outdoor respites, but also for hosting neighborhood events, which can be done by securing a permit through the city’s Street Activity Permit Office.
“One of the great things about this space in particular is it’s a pretty large space that’s been dedicated to pedestrians,” says Dolgoff. “It’s great for community events.”
To christen the Street Seat, VOREA is hosting a free, kid-friendly ice cream social on Friday, September 6 from 5-8 p.m.
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