16 Jul 2018
Two Trees, James Corner Field Operations and Shop Architects team up on Williamsburg waterfront park
BY Luke Cloherty
New York-based developer Two Trees Management has opened a disused sugar factory redevelopment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, turning the site into a waterfront park.
With landscaping from James Corner Field Operations and a street extension conceived by Shop Architects, the project aims to keep true to the site’s heritage, with remnants from the former Domino Sugar Factory – the space’s previous occupant – interspersed around the park.
Part of the park’s focus is to tell the story of sugar refining on the site, which started in 1882 and ended more than a century later in 2004.
“Domino Park will hopefully serve as a living, breathing tribute to thousands of Domino workers, their families and the rich tapestry of history that defines this New York community,” said Two Trees principal, Jed Walentas.
The attraction is open to all members of the public and is privately funded. Two Trees’ total investment in the park was US$50m (€42.7m, £37.8m).
A five-block walkway called Artifact Walk is among the park's features, with the space displaying more than 30 large-scale, handpicked pieces of salvaged factory machinery along the waterfront. Other features include a 1,200ft-long (366m) waterfront esplanade providing panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline and Williamsburg Bridge, as well as a recreation area that includes a Japanese Pine garden, a 100-person picnic area, a food kiosk, a children’s playground, a large sloping lawn and an urban beach.
There is also a play area designed by artist Mark Reigelman. Called Sweetwater Playground, it runs through the Domino Sugar Factory’s history and that of the sugar industry, guiding children through the sugar refining process. Reigelman’s use of yellow, turquoise, green and brushed metal colours in the playground recalls the factory’s original colour palette.
Shop Architects’ extension on River Street connects the Domino site to the street grid. According to the architect, it is a “purposeful urban gesture that draws people living in the community to the waterfront, so that the park becomes a part of daily life for tens of thousands of local residents”.
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