Concrete Plazas Will Be Transformed Into A New Park In FiDi

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — Two disconnected concrete plazas will be transformed into a new park at Trinity Place and Edgar Street in the Financial District.

The city began construction Friday on the new Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza Park — named for the late Liz Berger, a beloved neighborhood leader who spearheaded efforts to combine the two plazas into one leafy green space.

Berger "was the embodiment of determination," said Andy Breslau, who knew Berger since they were 18, working in city government.

"She had the vision of enlivening and greening and bringing commerce and people to this section of Lower Manhattan," said Breslau, who was brought on to work at the Downtown Alliance Business Improvement District by Berger, the former president of the BID.

The dual plazas were named for Berger in 2013, just a few months after she died of cancer at 53.

"We all miss her a great deal," said the current BID's president, Jessica Lappin. "I think Liz would be really proud of what this will be."

A lane of traffic will be rerouted from the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, often called the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, and excess roadbed will be scrapped from Greenwich Street to make way for the park.

"This place is going to be so iconic," said Councilmember Margaret Chin — noting the plaza will be a neighborhood resource for a new nearby school and will also commemorate the historical neighborhood Little Syria.

Artist Sara Ouhaddou will create a public artwork displaying Islamic architectural tiling and quotes in Arabic from Arab writers, known for settling along Washington Street in the late 1800s.

"There was a community right here which became the first Arab-American community," said Bob Madey, a board member of the Washington Street Historical Society and descendent of journalists and writers who settled in Lower Manhattan. In the 1940s, the construction of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel effectively displaced remaining residents and small businesses in the neighborhood.

"Dedicated to preserving and promoting the history the earliest Arabic-speaking community in the United States, we're excited to have the timely support of Mayor de Blasio's office, in partnership with NYC's [Departments] of Parks and Cultural Affairs to memorialize this little known but significant piece of New York and uniquely American history," the Washington Street group's president Bob Goodhouse said in a statement.

The $6 million park will feature a lawn, raised berms, seating, paved pathways and new plantings with cash from Mayor Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and the City Council.