Domino Park is a 5-acre (2.0 ha) public park in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It spans a quarter mile along the East River near the Williamsburg Bridge, at the Domino Sugar Refinery site.[1] Along the five-block riverside walk, various salvaged factory equipment is displayed, including four syrup collection tanks, that pay tribute to the history of the Domino Sugar Refinery.[2]
James Corner Field Operations, which also designed the High Line, took six years to design Domino Park.[3] Opened to the public in 2018, it is owned and operated by Two Trees Management,[4] which spent roughly $50 million to construct it.[5]
Attractions
The park features a children's playground, dog run, volleyball court, bocce court, and a playing field.[4] The volleyball court is partially meant to pay homage to the historical Latino population of Williamsburg, with whom the sport is popular. In a move to shift the burden of upkeep to the private sector, a small restaurant will be opened, offering tacos made of locally raised beef, along with cocktails.[1]
An elevated walkway extends much of the length of the park, resembling the interior of the old refinery. The crane tracks that were used in the original refinery now houses gardens with roughly a hundred different species of plants. All wooden structures and chairs in the park were built using reclaimed wood from the refinery. At the southern end of the park are water jets making an illuminated dancing fountain display, shooting eight feet (2.5m) into the air.[5]
The playground was designed by artist Mark Reigelman. Named Sweetwater Playground,[6] it is designed to resemble the sugar refining process. Reigelman wrote, "The idea is that a child enters as raw sugar cane and exits at the last portion of the playground as molasses, or sugar cubes." It is also partially built using reclaimed materials from the old refinery.[2]
Hurricane Sandy struck New York while the park was under construction in 2012. To safeguard against future storms, the park is located on an elevation well above the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood elevation guidelines.[4]
History
The park opened on June 10, 2018.[1][7]
As of 2020 the park had seen over 2 million visitors. The park was one of eight spaces nominated for that year's Urban Space Award hosted by the Urban Land Institute.[8] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, Domino Park expanded a composting program after the city's own composting initiative was downsized due to the pandemic.[9][10] "Social distancing" circles were also drawn on the park's green to encourage people to stay at least 6 feet (1.8 m) from each other, to control transmission of SARS-CoV-2.[11][12]
References
- ^ a b c Hughes, C. J. (June 8, 2018). "New Parks Sprout Around New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ a b McDermon, Daniel (June 7, 2018). "Testing Brooklyn's Newest Playground at Domino Park in Williamsburg". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ "Brooklyn's Sweetest New Park Opening Soon At Domino Sugar Factory Site". CBS News. June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c Fazzare, Elizabeth (June 6, 2018). "Domino Park Will Redefine the Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Waterfront". Architectural Digest. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ a b Del Signore, John (June 6, 2018). "First Look At Williamsburg's Gorgeous New Domino Park On The East River". Gothamist. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ Valente, Danielle (June 6, 2018). "Domino Park opens this weekend, and we can't wait to hit the playground". Time Out. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
- ^ Luoma, Sarah (June 10, 2018). "Visiting Domino Park in Brooklyn: What to know". Metro US. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Re, Justine (May 24, 2020). "Domino Park Named Finalist in International Public Space Design Contest". Spectrum News NY1 | New York City. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ "COVID-19 update: Powering through budget cuts: Domino Park launches food scrap drop-off in place of curbside programs". Brooklyn Eagle. May 29, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Orlow, Emma (June 23, 2020). "There's now a "rocket" in Domino Park that you can compost in". Time Out New York. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Harrouk, Christele (May 25, 2020). "Domino Park Introduces Social Distancing Circles to Adapt to the COVID-19 Crisis". ArchDaily. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Whiteman, Hilary (May 19, 2020). "New York's Domino Park circles encourage social distancing - CNN Style". CNN. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
