MEDIA ADVISORY
June 2, 2006 11am Grand Army Plaza

A NEW VISION FOR GRAND ARMY PLAZA

What: Elected officials, cultural institutions and community groups launch a new project to re-envision Grand Army Plaza with world renowned urban quality consultant Jan Gehl

Where: Bailey Fountain, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
Rain Location: Prospect Park Picnic House (public parking at 95 PPW)

When: Friday, June 2nd, 11:00 am

Who: The newly-formed Grand Army Plaza Coalition, Transportation Alternatives, the Prospect Park Alliance and Elected Officials

BROOKLYN, NY (June 2nd, 2006)-- Elected Officials, Prospect Park Alliance, Park Slope Civic Council, the Brooklyn Public Library, and many more partners have come together as the Grand Army Plaza Coalition to introduce Phase One of a community-driven process to transform Grand Army Plaza into one of the world’s great civic spaces. A redesigned plaza will bring Brooklyn’s communities together and encourage travel to, in and around this area of great historic and cultural appeal.

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza rivals the grandeur of European plazas like the Parisian Etoile where the Arc de Triomphe is located. However, over time Grand Army Plaza has become disconnected from the city around it. This great civic space has evolved into a gigantic traffic rotary, making it difficult for people to access the Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park and the restored Bailey Fountain. In recent months a diverse group of community stakeholders have come together to begin to re-envision Grand Army Plaza. What has emerged is one of the most exciting New York City Streets Renaissance projects.

The Grand Army Plaza Coalition has invited Jan Gehl, principal of Gehl Architects (Copenhagen, Denmark), and one of the world’s premiere urban quality consultants, to re-envision the plaza with focus on improving access for pedestrians. He has worked for London, Seoul, Melbourne and countless other world class cities to help better balance the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and automobiles, while preserving the quality and characteristics that help make a place both a home and an attraction.

Gehl’s work is sponsored by the Prospect Park Alliance and Transportation Alternatives and supported by the Grand Army Plaza Coalition. The coalition is made up of civic associations such as the Park Slope Civic Council, the Prospect Heights Parents Association and the Eastern Parkway Cultural Row Association. It includes cultural institutions such as the Prospect Park Alliance, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Heart of Brooklyn Cultural Partnership. It also consists of advocacy organizations such as the Project for Public Spaces, Transportation Alternatives, and the Open Planning Project.

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"Grand Army should be recreated as a beautiful central and binding spot for the great conglomerate of Brooklyn; however, care must be exercised to guarantee that a certain grandeur is maintained which is consistent with its primary purpose. It is a replica of the Arch de Triumph in Paris and it is one of the few places in America where the great United States victorious Union Army is appropriately celebrated."
- Congressman Major Owens

“I join Brooklyn pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers in hoping that Grand Army Plaza will reclaim its status as the most dramatic entry to the most beautiful park in New York City, rather than the site of the most car accidents in New York City. And I am confident that by working together in the days to come, this magnificent public space will become an even more grand community asset and cultural attraction for our residents and visitors.”
-Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

“The Prospect Park Alliance and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation together restored the lovely Bailey Fountain at the Center of Grand Army Plaza, which is again a real draw for people. Now we look forward to working with the Grand Army Plaza Coalition, the Department of Transportation and the community on taking the next steps to create better pedestrian access to all the vibrant activity already in place – such as the largest farmer’s market outside of Manhattan – and soon, the new Library plaza which will also bring more people to Grand Army Plaza.”
- Tupper Thomas, President, Prospect Park Alliance.

How exciting and appropriate that the surrounding communities--the public for whose use the Plaza was conceived--have come together to work with vigor and enthusiasm toward the goal of making Grand Army Plaza accessible and usable, viable and vibrant. The Park Slope Civic Council is proud to be part of the effort."
-Lydia Denworth, President Park Slope Civic Council

11:32 AM | Link |