Hudson River Park is a waterside park on the North River and is the part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is a joint state and city collaboration.
There is remarkable and spectacular artwork in different places in the park. Julius Choudhury wrote about the artworks.
The Apple
Cross at Charles St At Pier 46 In Greenwich Village
The Millennium Garden, located at Charles St. is the home of The Apple. Designed by Stephen Weiss, the late husband of world-renowned fashion designer Donna Karan, this bronze is part of his Larger than Life series and honors New York City by symbolizing the city’s heart and the core of life. It is nine feet tall and weighs three tons. It sits atop a circular bronze bench supported by apple cores, on which park patrons can sit and enjoy the beautiful waterside Millennium Garden, which was designed and funded by the Garden Club of America - New York Chapter.
Long Time
Cross at W26th St At Pier 66 In Chelsea
Long Time is a working water wheel that captures the beauty of the majestic Hudson River while harkening back to its shipping and milling history. Placed at the end of Pier 66, it turns with the tide as the river ebbs and flows. The wheel is constructed of stainless steel and has a diameter of 26 feet.
Private Passage
Cross at W55th At Pier 96 In Clinton
Created by artist Malcolm Cochran, Private Passage is a distinctive sculpture consisting of a 30’ x 8’6” wine bottle resting on its side, within which is a representation of an interior stateroom from the ocean liner, Queen Mary.
The exterior of the bottle is fabricated of bronze and zinc with a traditional green patina.
The interior of the bottle is fashioned from sheet metal and other materials in a monochromatic scheme evoking the look of a platinum print from a black and white film, similar to an image one might view in a magazine ad of the 1930s.
Visitors are able to view the interior through a number of portholes along the sides of the bottle. Larger circular windows in the mouth and bottom permit views down the length of the interior. A row of portholes along the top functions as skylights during the day. At night, and in overcast weather, the interior is illuminated by electric lights that are part of the cabin’s furnishings.
Stonefield
Cross at W22nd St At Pier 63 In Chelsea
Large stones were chosen from quarries in New York State and the northeast corner of Pennsylvania. They were selected for their special shapes and unusual sculptural qualities. Some are very colorful, some are concave, some craggy, one is very tall, another shaped somewhat like a boat.
Each is special. They are arranged to show their unique characteristics and individual ‘being-ness’.
Holland-America Line Mural
Cross at Clarkson St In Greenwich Village
The current Pier 40 was built in the early 1960s as a passenger ship terminal for the Holland-America lines. A beautiful ceramic mural showcasing the line still exists in the pier’s lobby. The Shipping Mural was created by artist Frank Nix.
Serpentine Structures
Cross at Watts St In Tribeca
Arranged north to south along the esplanade are the sculptures Twister (double-stemmed unit), Torque (bench), and Offshoot (single- stemmed cantilever). These Serpentine Structures are curved industrial trusses which take on evocative forms related to the estuarine environment of the neighboring river.
They are built of steel pipe which has been rolled, notched and welded. The two larger structures were divided by flanges into several components in order to be transported and galvanized, and will eventually have vines weaving through them. The middle unit has woven steel forged onto its ribs which invites sitting. The overhead works will eventually function to provide shade, with their living plant fabric.
Serpentine Structures was commissioned with funds provided by Friends of Lower Manhattan.
Two Too Large Tables
Cross at W26th St In Chelsea
Allan and Ellen Wexler created this playful sculpture that is also functional. There are two components to this piece. The first is an over-sized table that provides shade to those who sit in the regular sized chairs that are positioned beneath it. The second component consists of functional chairs and tables that are set in random formations that serve as a contrast to the over-sized table. The functionality of the piece allows visitors not only to view the art, but to experience it as well.
AIDS Memorial
Cross at W11th St In Greenwich Village
The quote engraved into the black granite bench reads: “I can sail without wind, I can row without oars, but I cannot part from my friend without tears.”
This memorial — a 42-foot-long curved stone bench situated on a granite path cut into the lawn situated in a beautifully landscaped knoll near Bank Street. The path is complemented by a balcony that juts out over the river where Pier 49 once stood.
The old pilings, still visible above the water, are a poignant metaphor for the lives lost to AIDS. The memorial is intended to be used as a place for people to sit and contemplate those who have been lost.
Dedicated on the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day, November 30th, 2008, this permanant monument was built by the AIDS Monument Committee (AMC) to commemorate those who have died from the disease, those who live with HIV, those who have cared for people with HIV/AIDS, and the educators and researchers who will one day eradicate it.
Senes
At Pier 79 In Maritime Entertainment District
Senes was created in 1973 by native New Yorker, William Crovello. Senes is an abstract sculpture that consists of formed, bent and welded stainless steel plate 3/16 inch thick. It weighs 4100 lbs and measures eight feet eight inches high by seven feet four inches wide by ten feet eleven inches long. It was fabricated by R.J.B Fabricators of Paterson, New Jersey.
Born in 1929, sculptor William Crovello studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, Art Students League, and Columbia University. In 1963, he moved to Spain where he began to devote himself to sculpture. Currently, he maintains studios in both New York and Pietrasanta, Italy.
There is remarkable and spectacular artwork in different places in the park. Julius Choudhury wrote about the artworks.
The Apple
Cross at Charles St At Pier 46 In Greenwich Village
The Millennium Garden, located at Charles St. is the home of The Apple. Designed by Stephen Weiss, the late husband of world-renowned fashion designer Donna Karan, this bronze is part of his Larger than Life series and honors New York City by symbolizing the city’s heart and the core of life. It is nine feet tall and weighs three tons. It sits atop a circular bronze bench supported by apple cores, on which park patrons can sit and enjoy the beautiful waterside Millennium Garden, which was designed and funded by the Garden Club of America - New York Chapter.
Long Time
Cross at W26th St At Pier 66 In Chelsea
Long Time is a working water wheel that captures the beauty of the majestic Hudson River while harkening back to its shipping and milling history. Placed at the end of Pier 66, it turns with the tide as the river ebbs and flows. The wheel is constructed of stainless steel and has a diameter of 26 feet.
Private Passage
Cross at W55th At Pier 96 In Clinton
Created by artist Malcolm Cochran, Private Passage is a distinctive sculpture consisting of a 30’ x 8’6” wine bottle resting on its side, within which is a representation of an interior stateroom from the ocean liner, Queen Mary.
The exterior of the bottle is fabricated of bronze and zinc with a traditional green patina.
The interior of the bottle is fashioned from sheet metal and other materials in a monochromatic scheme evoking the look of a platinum print from a black and white film, similar to an image one might view in a magazine ad of the 1930s.
Visitors are able to view the interior through a number of portholes along the sides of the bottle. Larger circular windows in the mouth and bottom permit views down the length of the interior. A row of portholes along the top functions as skylights during the day. At night, and in overcast weather, the interior is illuminated by electric lights that are part of the cabin’s furnishings.
Stonefield
Cross at W22nd St At Pier 63 In Chelsea
Large stones were chosen from quarries in New York State and the northeast corner of Pennsylvania. They were selected for their special shapes and unusual sculptural qualities. Some are very colorful, some are concave, some craggy, one is very tall, another shaped somewhat like a boat.
Each is special. They are arranged to show their unique characteristics and individual ‘being-ness’.
Holland-America Line Mural
Cross at Clarkson St In Greenwich Village
The current Pier 40 was built in the early 1960s as a passenger ship terminal for the Holland-America lines. A beautiful ceramic mural showcasing the line still exists in the pier’s lobby. The Shipping Mural was created by artist Frank Nix.
Serpentine Structures
Cross at Watts St In Tribeca
Arranged north to south along the esplanade are the sculptures Twister (double-stemmed unit), Torque (bench), and Offshoot (single- stemmed cantilever). These Serpentine Structures are curved industrial trusses which take on evocative forms related to the estuarine environment of the neighboring river.
They are built of steel pipe which has been rolled, notched and welded. The two larger structures were divided by flanges into several components in order to be transported and galvanized, and will eventually have vines weaving through them. The middle unit has woven steel forged onto its ribs which invites sitting. The overhead works will eventually function to provide shade, with their living plant fabric.
Serpentine Structures was commissioned with funds provided by Friends of Lower Manhattan.
Two Too Large Tables
Cross at W26th St In Chelsea
Allan and Ellen Wexler created this playful sculpture that is also functional. There are two components to this piece. The first is an over-sized table that provides shade to those who sit in the regular sized chairs that are positioned beneath it. The second component consists of functional chairs and tables that are set in random formations that serve as a contrast to the over-sized table. The functionality of the piece allows visitors not only to view the art, but to experience it as well.
AIDS Memorial
Cross at W11th St In Greenwich Village
The quote engraved into the black granite bench reads: “I can sail without wind, I can row without oars, but I cannot part from my friend without tears.”
This memorial — a 42-foot-long curved stone bench situated on a granite path cut into the lawn situated in a beautifully landscaped knoll near Bank Street. The path is complemented by a balcony that juts out over the river where Pier 49 once stood.
The old pilings, still visible above the water, are a poignant metaphor for the lives lost to AIDS. The memorial is intended to be used as a place for people to sit and contemplate those who have been lost.
Dedicated on the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day, November 30th, 2008, this permanant monument was built by the AIDS Monument Committee (AMC) to commemorate those who have died from the disease, those who live with HIV, those who have cared for people with HIV/AIDS, and the educators and researchers who will one day eradicate it.
Senes
At Pier 79 In Maritime Entertainment District
Senes was created in 1973 by native New Yorker, William Crovello. Senes is an abstract sculpture that consists of formed, bent and welded stainless steel plate 3/16 inch thick. It weighs 4100 lbs and measures eight feet eight inches high by seven feet four inches wide by ten feet eleven inches long. It was fabricated by R.J.B Fabricators of Paterson, New Jersey.
Born in 1929, sculptor William Crovello studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, Art Students League, and Columbia University. In 1963, he moved to Spain where he began to devote himself to sculpture. Currently, he maintains studios in both New York and Pietrasanta, Italy.
