Sustainability is a major goal of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Design initiatives include the re-use of existing site structures and the use of recycled and salvaged materials, thus preserving the cultural legacy of the site and reducing the resources expended in its transformation.

From Old Bridges to a New Park

Working in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Bridge Park received surplus granite from two bridge reconstruction projects happening in other boroughs of New York City. This resulted in some of the park’s most distinctive features. The Granite Prospect on Pier 1 is a sweeping promontory made of over 300 pieces of granite salvaged from the reconstructed Roosevelt Island Bridge. The steps formed by these massive blocks provide a popular seating area where visitors can enjoy stunning harbor and skyline views and watch the many programs that take place on the Pier 1 promenade below.

Salvaged granite can be found in other sections of the park as well. The seating at the Pier 1 salt marsh and portions of the Empire Fulton Ferry landscape around Jane’s Carousel are constructed of 3,200 cubic yards of granite salvaged from the demolished Willis Avenue Bridge.

A Granite Terrace

The Pier 3 Greenway Terrace incorporates stone from both bridge projects. The granite terrace serves as a passive recreation area where visitors can relax and take in the incredible views of New York harbor. It also provides a space for public art installations and a venue for performances. This section of the park, opened in November 2013, includes three granite platforms that rise four to five feet above the base of the terrace and hold plantings of flowering trees and evergreens to provide a shady seating area.