Waterside Plaza

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Coordinates: 40°44′15″N 73°58′24″W / 40.7374°N 73.9733°W / 40.7374; -73.9733

Three of the four towers of Waterside Plaza seen from the south, with the United Nations International School in the right foreground

Waterside Plaza, formerly a Mitchell-Lama Housing Program-funded rental apartment complex, is located on the East River in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan, New York City.


Contents

[edit] Overview

The apartment buildings that make up Waterside (as well as the neighboring United Nations International School) were constructed on top of platforms supported by over 2,000 concrete piles sunk into the East River.[1] Developed by Richard Ravitch, the first apartment buildings opened in 1973 and the complex was completed the following year.[2][3] The housing development received the Construction Achievement Project of the Year Award from the Metropolitan Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1974.[4]

The complex is made up of four residential towers as well as a row of duplex townhouses, clad in red brickwork, that encompass a large plaza overlooking the East River. There are 1,470 residential units along with a health club (open to non-residents) and a parking garage.[5] Waterside Plaza's small retail space is occupied by Citibank, cleaners, a stationery store, Creative Dream Parties, a Gristedes, and Robbins Nest Cafe. The British International School of New York is also located within the base of one of the residential towers.

Waterside is accessible to vehicles only by entering from 23rd Street. Cars and trucks leaving Waterside can do so through 23rd Street or driving along a service road to 34th Street. A footbridge at East 25th Street allows safe passage across the FDR Drive. Waterside is also the last stop on the M34A Select Bus Service route.

Seen from the middle of the East River

Waterside is notable as Manhattan island's only residential complex currently located east of the FDR Drive.[1] The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway passes between the two.

In 2004, Waterside Management Company LLC launched a three-year capital improvement program with a cost in excess of $35,000,000. The capital improvement program included upgrades to all new apartments as they became vacant as well as all hallways and each building's reception and concierge areas. The plaza itself was re-waterproofed and repaved and extensive park-like landscaping added. The health club, parking facilities, and security system were also upgraded.

Waterside Plaza hosts year-round events that are free and open to the public. The most popular are the outdoor summer concerts in July and the outdoor Monday night movies in August. In 2008 Waterside Plaza hosted the Make Music New York festival, during which 17 bands performed concerts on three different stages - on the waterside, in the gardens, and on the plaza. Other events include monthly playreadings, a short play festival, a dance festival, a spring flea market, and an electronic recycling day.

P. F. Chang's held a charity event on the roof of one of Waterside's high rise buildings on June 28, 2010, during which professional golfers Annika Sörenstam, Briny Baird and Don Vickery took turns driving golf balls at a target floating in the East River. The event raised a total of $100,000 for several charities including the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.[6]

[edit] Architectural significance

Waterside Plaza was designed by the architecture firm of Davis, Brody & Associates.[7] In 2001, The New York Times architectural critic Herbert Muschamp described Waterside as a "great urban composition" that is "picturesque and historically informed."[8]

In 1975, Waterside won the Albert S. Bard Award for Distinguished Architecture and Urban Design. A year later, it won an Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.[9] In 2004, the Municipal Art Society placed Waterside on its "30 Under 30", a watch list of future landmarks.[10][11]

[edit] References

Notes
  1. ^ a b "Waterside Plaza History". Waterside Management Company. Retrieved 2011-10-15. 
  2. ^ Fried, Joseph P. (September 13, 1973). "After Nearly 12 Years of Obstacles, Waterside Housing Opens on River". The New York Times. p. 49. Retrieved 2010-07-04. 
  3. ^ Pristin, Terry (April 13, 1999). "'Small Town' With Big-City Woes; Tenant-Landlord Fight Taints Innovative Waterside Plaza". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-04. 
  4. ^ "Construction Achievement Project of the Year Award". ASCE Metropolitan Section. Retrieved 2011-10-15. 
  5. ^ Lambert, Bruce (June 5, 1994). "Worries at Waterside". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-04. 
  6. ^ Paddock, Barry (June 30, 2010). "Pro golfer Annika Sorenstam tries hand at driving golf balls from Manhattan skyscraper - for charity". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
  7. ^ Goldberger, Paul (1981). The Skyscraper. New York: Knopf. p. 135. ISBN 0-394-50595-6. 
  8. ^ Muschamp, Herbert (October 5, 2001). "For Rebuilders, Inspiration All Around". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-02. 
  9. ^ "Waterside Housing Complex". Davis Brody Bond Architects. Retrieved 2011-10-15. 
  10. ^ "30 Under 30: The Watch List of Future Landmarks" (PDF). Municipal Art Society. Retrieved 2011-10-15. 
  11. ^ "Waterside Plaza Architecture". Waterside Management Company. Retrieved 2011-10-15. 

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waterside Plaza, Manhattan


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