Revised New UWS Boat Basin Design Gets Pushback: Photos

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Industrial and clumsy were some of the words community board members used to describe the revised design proposal for the new West 79th Street Boat Basin in Riverside Park.

In a November meeting of Community Board 7's Parks & Environment Committee, representatives from the New York City Park's Department and the New York City Economic Development Corporation presented designs of the new Boat Basin for the second time in the past few months.

The new dock house is proposed to rise two stories above the Hudson River while being held up by thick 9-foot cylindrical columns. The water-facing side of the building has see-through glass panels.

The elevation from the columns gives it protection from storm surges and flooding.

The park side is more cement wall-like, with fewer opportunities to see through the building.

The two city agencies made revisions to their design based on remarks given by Community Board 7 in the summer. The changes are highlighted in red in the photos below.

The city is spending the majority of its $89.2 million budget to reconstruct the West 79th Street Boat Basin on the suggested 6,000-square-foot facility that is more than five times the size of the dock house currently standing.

"It's an 85-year-old, wooden built, Robert Moses-era structure, and we really extended the life of it about as long as anyone could, or would in their right mind," said a representative from the city during the Community Board 7 meeting.

NYC Parks announced the project in June to make the Boat Basin more climate-resilient, enable more ecological research and education, and expand access for boaters.

• Read More: 79th Street Boat Basin In Riverside To Be Rebuilt After 80 Years

The current Boat Basin was closed and the boaters kicked out last month.

Most of the Upper West Siders who spoke during the community board meeting were not very happy about the new-look boathouse.

"This thing is neither heavy nor airy. It's really clumsy," said Upper West Sider and architect Ira Mitchneck. "This is certainly an improvement of what you had before, don't get me wrong, but it's still way too solid."

Mark Diller, the former chair of Community Board 7, said he was "deeply troubled" by the design and that the park side view of the building was "industrial" looking.

He specifically pointed out that the waterside view of the proposed new building was much more aesthetically pleasing than the one park-goers would see.

“I would love nothing more than to make this look lighter and more open, but we sort of have to balance with what’s going on inside the building and complying with the energy code that gets more strict with every passing year," said Vadit Suwatcharapinun, the designer overseeing the project.

You can watch the full discussion of the new Boat Basin for yourself below, the segment starts around the 1 hour, 50-minute mark.

All photos courtesy of NYC Parks Department and EDC via Community Board 7.

The WestSideRag was the first publication to report on the second Boat Basin design.