“We’re putting the ‘park’ back in Park Avenue!” This is how New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez is framing an improvement plan for eleven blocks in Manhattan, specifically the corridor between 46th and 57th Streets above the Grand Central Terminal Train Shed.
At a press conference this week, the Adams administration and Rodriguez announced a new RFP to solicit bids from landscape designers keen on adding much-needed green space in East Midtown. The most visible change will be a new, wider pedestrian median just north of Grand Central Terminal.
This streetscape improvement will take place while the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) makes important infrastructure upgrades to the train shed below grade. Today, the MTA is working to fortify the subterranean structure which feeds into the train station.
Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said in a statement that while the MTA “works underground to shore up our train infrastructure, we are taking this unique moment to make the vital artery, Park Avenue, a destination.” Joshi also shared that “lighting, furniture, and concessions will create more of the vibrant space New Yorkers love and deserve.”
The plan is part of the city’s overall strategy to improve walkability and livability in New York’s primary commercial neighborhood. This program includes a major improvement plan to Fifth Avenue by Field Operations, Sam Schwartz, Arcadis, and Public Works Partners; among other improvement plans.
Some of New York’s finest pre- and postwar buildings line the swath of Park Avenue between 46th and 57th Streets. This list includes Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building, SOM’s Lever House, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, St. Bartholomew’s Church, and others.
Until the streetscape was redesigned in the 20th century, it prioritized pedestrians. Now, the DOT is keen on reversing course and going back to the way things used to be.
Park Avenue’s upgrade will be funded by private developers as part of the East Midtown Rezoning Plan, which started in 2017. The following year, in 2018, a design competition was hosted by Fisher Brothers, Beyond the Centerline, to reimagine the streetscape north of Grand Central.
“The East Midtown Rezoning continues to deliver for the public, as funds generated from private development will help us deliver a greener and safer Park Avenue,” added Dan Garodnick, New York City Department of City Planning director and New York City Planning Commission chair. “This is just another example of how we’re planning ahead to improve livability and public safety in New York.”
