Canal Park to reopen after 85-year closure

A schematic design of Canal Park, created by the New York City Parks Department. The park was slated to open sometime in July.

NEW YORK CITY—The last time Canal Park in Manhattan was open, Babe Ruth was belting home runs for the New York Yankees. Fast forward to today and the two-thirds acre park, located in the Tribeca area, will be soon opened to the public.

In 1920 Canal Park was used as a staging area for the Holland Tunnel. The project was supposed to take four years to build but took the better part of the decade.

“The city was considering building a road to the Manhattan Bridge and somehow the park just disappeared out of the public memory,” said New York City Parks Department landscape architect Allan Scholl. “The community had a collective group effort and pursued rebuilding the park.”

In addition to Bluegrass, mixed ornamental and evergreens were used in Canal Park. Angelica Nursery provided most of the plant materials, which were four seasons quality.

Scholl said Highway Route 9A got reconfigured as an old stream ran into the drainage system. Located on Canal Street on the west side of Manhattan, the park is close to the Hudson River. Several utilities got reworked as the level of the park had to be raised about one foot. Some soil was brought into the park and curbing, sidewalks and fencing helped to solve the utility challenges.

Canal Park cost upwards of $2 million to reopen, funded by the New York State Department of Transportation. Scholl, Renata Sokolowski and Wim Deronde helped to design the new Canal Park, with Land Tek Group Inc. as the general contactor, doing the installation.

Scholl said the park may help bolster the economic impact of the mixed-use area. Already, owners of adjacent buildings are talking about fixing up their storefronts and improving the sidewalks to match the aesthetics of the park.

Giving a nod to its history, the park has four images from the past that were etched into granite stones, said Scholl. The interior hex block was provided by Hanover Pavers, with the plaques by Written In Stone.