Rendering - New Manhattan Tram Station

RIOC via Steve Shane has made public the first proposed rendering of the new Manhattan Roosevelt Island Tram station.


------Original Message------
From: Steve Shane
To: Roosevelt Island 360
Sent: May 12, 2009 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: Sketch Manhattan Tram Station

Does have a retractable roof look, but it does not retract. We must stay within the envelope of the present station or get into real difficulties with the Parks Dept. Functionally, interior will be much the same as the present station. There will be platform doors protecting the bays and we're trying to reorganize the exits to be more centrally positioned onto 2nd Avenue, but otherwise the same. Budget is very limiting.

A Changing of the Banner Size Rental Apartment Ads....

I will admit I did not notice that two weeks ago the Manhattan Park ads that adorned the Manhattan Tram Station were removed. But I certainly noticed the Riverwalk ads go up. The ads facing Second Ave and incoming bridge traffic moved from the balcony level down to street level and you can't help but see the ads as you walk by.

Upon inquiring whether we should expect to see additional ads (thinking now both Manhattan Park and the Riverwalk ads) were permament features of the structure I asked Steve Shane, President of RIOC, about future plans for the station and concerns re overcommercializing the space. He stated:

The instant ad banner is temporary and will be taken down when the Tram closes July 6. You may remember that there were Manhattan Park banners on the station for the last several years which were only removed 2 weeks ago. It is to everyone's benefit to promote the success of Riverwalk. Overcommercializing the space will not occur. See billboards and other display ads on the surrounding buildings.

We are working on the design of the new Tram station which will not have the same dreary presentation as the present terminal. Be patient.

Stephen H. Shane
President & CEO
Roosevelt Island Operating
Corp.

So while we will miss the Tram station this Summer I am betting I am not alone in not missing these new signs.

Low Res: Manhattan's Roosevelt Island Tram Station:

Low resolution video of the Manhattan Roosevelt Island Tram Station

Is Roosevelt Island the Sixth Borough?

In response to last Sunday's NY Times piece about NYC blogs one blog, Idealist in NYC, compiled a list of currently updated NYC blogs and for some reason elevated Roosevelt Island to its own borough and severed our connection to Manhattan. Amusing. Is that possible?

Like Washington Square Park I was caught off guard by this political developement. Has anyone notified Jessica Lappin (our City Council Member) that she has just lost a chunk of her voting constituency?

Manhattan Tram Platform Partially Cordoned Off

Subsequent to the incident Friday evening where a piece of sheathing fell from the Manhatan Roosevelt Island Tram Station onto the platform part of that platform continued to be cordoned off as of Monday night, October 27, 2008. It is unclear at this time if the platform is cordoned off due to any additional inspections of the Tram station structure or for an unrelated purpose.

According to one tram operator the metal that fell, contrary to earlier reports, was much larger than the reported 3 to 4 feet in length. This operator heard from others that it was closer to 15 feet in length. Evidence in this operator's mnd that despite opposition to the Tram and station renovations the replacement of the system and stations is necessary for long term safety ad growth.

A Prayer Before You Take the Tram?

While the Roosevelt Island Tram is scheduled to be replaced next year no one has publicly stated that safety is such an issue that a prayer is required before the Tram begins its trip across the East River but someone apparently did not want to take any chances.

The above pictured prayer booth was permanently affixed and anchored into the ground within Manhattan's Tramway Plaza, a NYC designated public park. The non-denominational prayer booth offers a fold down knealing pad. The instructions, especially the warning, are the best part.

"Warning:

This device exists to facilitate and control prayer in
public space. Improper use may result in penalty or fine.

Please avoid the booth if you are sensitive to or feel
threatened by actions that are religious in nature."

The over/even is the ACLU wil have the City Parks Department remove it by midday tomorrow so get your prayers in now while you can.

Note: It appears that the prayer booth is actually an art installation created by artist Dylan Mortimer and has traveled across the country according to these 2007 newspaper articles. It would be nice if some sort of "art card' was placed nearby. Amusing. Over the years the Manhattan Tramway Plaza has hosted numerous art installations.

UPDATE 935am - Supposedly a member of Community Board 8 saw the TWO prayer booths at the plaza and is contacting Parks to have them removed. Apparently by bolting the booths to the ground it is a violation etc etc.

UPDATE 9/18 1130am - The story continues as apparently Parks did not notify CB8 that they were installing the booths as "public art".

Sharing Governor’s Island: The Roosevelt Island Model?

Over the past few days there have been a number of articles, on line and in print, regarding the issue of sharing Governor’s island using the Roosevelt Island model. My question is what is that model?

In short Roosevelt Island politically votes for Manhattan elected officials, is part of Manhattan School District #2, and Manhattan Community Board 8. For emergency services Roosevelt Island is served by a Queens based NYPD police precinct (the 114) and by Queens based FDNY houses. The latter services dictated by the fact that Roosevelt Island’s only connection to the mainland being the Roosevelt Island Bridge connecting the island to 36th Avenue, Long Island City. I am unsure which borough serviced then Welfare Island before the Bridge’s construction. Presumably either borough could have sent units to the middle of he Queensboro Bridge and taken the elevators down to the island.

Other than this division of services and political sub-divisions what sharing agreement / model is there? At present, the day to day operations of the island are not even run by City agencies but by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, a state created authority whose predecessor the Roosevelt Island Development Corporation and the UDC, were created to rebuild the island and manage it under a lease with a New York City that had allowed the island to go to waste and disrepair.

So how that model would work with out a bridge from Governor’s Island to Brooklyn I am not sure. But I would support such a bridge.

The Blackwell’s Island Diner and Penitentiary ?

For the past few months the former martial arts studio that fronts Tramway Plaza on the Manhattan side of the Queensboro Bridge has been empty and looking for a new tenant. This week the owner finally placed a large “For Lease” sign over the property.

The question is why is that property not moving when it appears to have a built in consumer base with the local neighborhood and the Tram traffic that crosses in front of it each morning and night? I have toyed in my mind what type of store I’d love to see go in there. The answers have ranged from a specialty foods establishments to a good deli. Some establishment where you can either grab a bite or pick up something which can be prepared at home certainly sounds good. Deliveries to the location would be a real pain for the tenant.

For all I know the landlord specifically does not want a food related tenant and wants a standard retailer which would not invite all the food related ills that other local restaurants had had to deal with (i.e. Serendipity III). But one can dream. Yes a food establishment woudl be in competition to the planned food related space at 425 Main Street. But competition and more choices are a good thing.

If the RIHS did not set up the Visitor’s Center in the former Trolley Kiosk on the Island the location would have been perfect to start a Roosevelt Island Tourism Center from which tours and specialty goods could have been sold from. Perhaps a diner themed and named the “Blackwell’s Island Diner and Penitentiary”?

Manhattan’s Tramway Plaza – Images from Yesterday and Today

Even though Tramway Plaza is not technically part of Roosevelt Island it is as much part of the island psychologically to residents as anyplace else and when a resident reaches the plaza at the end of a long day they know they are almost home.

Yesterday:




Copyright 2005 George Cuhaj via NYC Subway.org

Today

Images of the interior Plaza brickwork and the picture of the Tram station itself were taken from the Bridge & Tunnel Club web page for Tramway Plaza.


Park Rededication Links:

< Parks News Release – July 19, 2007
< Photos from the Rededication
< Daily Plant


Past Art Installations:

Entrance to a Garden – Dennis Oppenheim – May 2004





NYC Parks Dept. Press Release


Location: