“From coastal resiliency and sustainable green practices to the preservation of affordable housing, world-class public art, and vibrant, year-round programming in award-winning public spaces, Battery Park City leads the way in many of the measures that makes cities livable."

Raju Mann

President & CEO
  • 05/12/21
  • Art & Culture
  • Community
  • Property Service & Maintenance

BPC DID YOU KNOW? | Pylons & Glass Benches Lighting Upgrades

The Battery Park City Authority has a long tradition of commitment to site-specific public art beginning in the 1980s as the neighborhood began to take form. Battery Park City is now home to nearly two dozen different permanent works of public art, most having been designed as integral parts of the landscape and many which invite the public to experience and interact with the artwork. As the neighborhood’s infrastructure ages, its public art pieces also periodically require repair and/or restoration.

Pylons (by Martin Puryear), located along the Battery Park City Esplanade, just north of the North Cove Marina, and Glass Benches (James Carpenter Design Associates with Rogers Marvel Architects), adjacent to the Irish Hunger Memorial, are two of the most recent examples of the Authority addressing the conservation needs of its collection, which, as outdoor sculpture, is often impacted by age and weather. The images above show a recently-completed lighting restoration on these works, allowing them to restore the artists’ intent and preserve their appearance and longevity. This new LED lighting is also in keeping with Battery Park City’s sustainable practices.

Martin Puryear is an American artist who lives and works in the Hudson Valley region of New York, with numerous public commissions in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. He represented the United States at the Venice Biennale in 2019, and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including a MacArthur Foundation Award, National Medal of Arts, and was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.

James Carpenter has worked at the intersection of art, engineering and the built environment for 50 years, advancing a distinctive vision based on the use of natural light and glass as the foundational elements of the built environment. Carpenter has been recognized with numerous national and international awards, including an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

Read more about Pylons here.

Read more about Glass Benches here.

Read the BPC Sustainability Plan here.

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