New Battery Pavilion to Celebrate New York's Dutch Roots

At a press conference with Dutch officials to announce plans for the joint Dutch-
American 2009 celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival in New York Harbor, Mayor Bloomberg revealed a dramatic new public pavilion to be located at Peter Minuit Plaza at The Battery, designed by celebrated Dutch architect Ben van Berkel.

The 5,000 square-foot New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion, a gift from the Netherlands Government, is to be "a dramatic space" which the city expects to draw 5 million people a year to an "outdoor living room" for spontaneous and scheduled activities, public markets, food and information. The space will be permanently erected at the Battery in late 2009, and feature an LED-adorned facade to create color-shifting light show after sundown.

The Mayor also announced plans for a "Harbor Day" celebration on September 13th to commemorate Henry Hudson's arrival aboard the Dutch vessel "Halve Maen." Bloomberg says Harbor Day will become an annual event intended to recognize the progress made in reclaiming the city's waterfront and opening harbor parks and greenways. Much more on Henry Hudson 400 here.

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By John Del Signore in News on January 28, 2009 7:05 PM

Comments [rss]

Rick

Too bad NYC did not stay Dutch. In any event, their legacy makes this a better city than, say, Puritan Boston or whatever brand of religious vision took settlers to points West.

These kind of public pavillions are kind of earnest in their deliberate approach to Culture, but this is a city that can't even do something classy with the Battery Park area during boom times. We're lucky that the Netherlands would understake this project now.

Clarice City

Right, the Puritan work ethic did nothing for New York. Not to mention, their affection for black clothing.

inoyourider

Yeah I'm a 31 yo 6'0 average looking white guy and I completely got the wrong end of the cop the other night. I got threatened by a beatdown, my girlfriend threatened by rape, while the cop had his hand on his gun.

Ever have that?

Its not a fucking game.

Passenger of patrol car 1523 in Harlem. Fucking white trash. Without a badge and a gun he's be a body in the river.

He's a little fucking Napoleon. Tiny little big-mouth.

nik13

Finally.

longacre

Will there be a US Airways flyover in honor of Hudson discovering their new runway?

chuzzlewit

We gonna do Stonehenge tomorrow?

grandzu

Oh just like how the Irish famine monument/cave there has drawn...um...dozens?

NannyState

How 'bout a little Kaffee Haus with legal hash?

chopp3r

"Where's the pavilion model?" "Oh, here it is under my pashmina."

ides_of_march

Dank U wel.

Future Taliban

I keep getting this mental image of Bloomberg wearing that cute li'l red skirt, bobby socks and shiney black shoes like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.