Public Space on Park Avenue

Panel Discussion, In-Person & Online

Tuesday, July 28th at 6:00pm

On Tuesday, July 28th at 6pm, we conclude our series on Park Avenue: Past, Present, Future with a program in the gallery on new plans for Public Space on Park Avenue. The key partners in charge of the restoration and redesign of the street’s median and infrastructure will come together to discuss their process and plans. The panelists include: LAURA STARR, founding partner of Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners; NICHOLAS PETTINATI, Deputy Director of Urban Design at NYC DOT; and JAMIE TORRES-SPRINGER, Chief Development Officer and President of Construction & Development for the MTA.

The nominal “park” of the Park Avenue median from 46th Street to 57th Street has stretched and shrunk over the past century. Created out of thin air from 1903 to 1913 during the electrification and double decking of the New York Central’s railyard, underground, Park Avenue is both a bridge and a tunnel. Above “ground,” it is one of the world’s greatest urban boulevards.

Now, the century-old infrastructure of road and bridge is the focus of a lengthy rehabilitation effort by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Metro-North Railroad, which is responsible for the maintenance and reconstruction of the Grand Central Terminal Train Shed. Over the coming years, as the roof is repaired in phases, Park Avenue’s medians will be widened and the public space redesigned. Working with the landscape architects of Starr Whitehouse, NYC DOT is engaged in the final stages of “putting the ‘park’ back in Park Avenue.” The City aims to transform the avenue into a greener, safer, and more pedestrian-friendly corridor. Key elements of the new design include a wider median, pedestrian enhancements, seating, landscaping, and innovative streetscape amenities.

To register for this FREE program, click on the link above to RSVP. This is a hybrid program, in-person in the gallery and online. You will be redirected to Ticketstripe to reserve your seat in the gallery. To watch the program online, tune in to our YouTube channel when the livestream begins at 6pm. You do NOT need to register for the YouTube livestream. Museum members receive priority registration by emailing programs@skyscraper.org