{"id":35699,"date":"2022-10-28T08:58:17","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T06:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/?p=35699"},"modified":"2022-10-29T13:24:25","modified_gmt":"2022-10-29T11:24:25","slug":"small-islands-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/small-islands-in-nyc\/","title":{"rendered":"Small islands in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever heard of Governors Island<\/strong>? This small island, located on the Hudson<\/strong> south of Manhattan<\/strong>, is a gem of New York<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Photo 1: Battery Maritime Building<\/strong> (Governors Island Ferry<\/strong>) seen from the river<\/p>\n

Governors Island<\/strong> has no land connection with the city, so the only way to get there is to take a ferry. It runs from 11 am to 9 pm from Battery Maritime Building. The BMB terminal is also a significant historical building with art-deco details, with an upscale hotel and rooftop bar inside.<\/p>\n

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Photo 2: The Block House at night, Governors Island<\/strong><\/p>\n

Governors Island<\/strong> was a home for the Navy and became open to the public not too long ago. The architecture on the island is mainly post-military buildings. There are also single-family houses where families of the soldiers used to live. The island is entirely car-free but not bike-free \ud83d\ude42 It’s small enough to walk around it on a boulevard by the river or in the parks.<\/p>\n

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Photo 3: Battery Maritime Building<\/strong> (Governors Island Ferry<\/strong>) seen from the street.<\/p>\n

I took an evening ferry to the island to join a cocktail party organized by The Institute for Public Architecture (IPA). IPA is an organization formed by architects who are based mostly, but not entirely, in NYC<\/strong>. They address their design to challenge social and physical inequities in the city, focusing on residential architecture. During the summer, a few volunteers for IPA experienced living on the island in this building called The Block House<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The house has around ten bedrooms, a kitchen with a dining room, a library, and a spacious living room. IPA members converted some of the bedrooms into exhibition spaces, where they presented their work. I think that the concept was fascinating. What amazed me is that there are no street lamps on the streets, and it gets very dark in the evening. I am very excited to revisit the island and see more of it during the daytime.<\/p>\n

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Photo 4: Statue of Liberty<\/strong> seen from Staten Island Ferry<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Statue of Liberty<\/strong> remains the most iconic landmark in New York<\/strong>. You can see her from many places, such as Battery Park<\/strong>, bridges (Brooklyn<\/strong> and Manhattan<\/strong>), part of Brooklyn<\/strong>, Staten Island<\/strong>, and the ferry. So for many months, I’ve wondered why people still want to see the statue from the closeup.<\/p>\n

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Photos 5: The Ukrainian Community celebrating Defenders Day<\/strong>, Liberty Island<\/strong>, October 15<\/p>\n

Finally, I had a good reason to go there. On October 15th, together with the Ukrainian community<\/strong> in NYC<\/strong>, we hopped on a ferry to Liberty Island. Once we arrived, we gathered in the center square of the island and pulled up Ukrainian flags, symbols, and a banner saying ‘Defended by soldiers.’ It was around 30 participants, photographers, and a special guest was Oleksii Holubov – Consulate General of Ukraine in New York<\/strong>. This action was dedicated to the defenders of Ukraine. Defenders Day is celebrated in Ukraine on October 14th.<\/p>\n

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Photo 6: On the roof of the Statue of Liberty Museum<\/strong>, Liberty Island<\/strong>, October 15<\/p>\n

Liberty Island<\/strong> is a historical place, and its history changed over the years. Like Governors Island and Ellis Island<\/strong>, Liberty Island<\/strong> once was a fort to protect New York<\/strong> from the British Invasion<\/strong>. The engineers used the remaining fortification stone to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty.<\/p>\n

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Photo 7: The Little Islan<\/strong>d and the remains of Pier 55<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Little Island was opened last year, and I got a chance to visit it many times. It’s situated on pier 55 in Hudson River<\/strong>, right by the Chelsea Market<\/strong>. The island is an extension of the public space along the river, with a beautifully landscaped park. Architects: MNLA, Heatherwick Studio.<\/p>\n

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Photo 8: The city seen from the Little Island<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"Photos 9 & 10: Public spaces at the Little <\/strong>Island<\/strong><\/p>\n

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