Winning Team Announced For NYC 'Take Me Out To The River' Project

The West Harlem Art Fund,Inc.

For Immediate Release (New York, NY) –The West Harlem Art Fund, the NY State Department's Division of Coastal Resources and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President announced the winning design team for "Take Me to the River," a project that will improve pedestrian access to the Hudson River from West Harlem to Washington Heights.

Currently, access to Riverside Park is obstructed by the combination of the Amtrak railroad tracks and the Henry Hudson Parkway. The winning team, led by Nautilus International Development Consulting, Inc. in association with Donna Walcavage Landscape Architecture + Urban Design, will create a set of recommendations to improve the appearance and maintenances of paths and side walks, and to provide signage. It will also create a plan to strengthen the cultural and economic resources of West Harlem and southern Washington Heights. Other members of the team include Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture LLC, Ernst & Young, Creative Cities, Studio L'Image, Warren Antonio James Architect, Kendal Henry Public Art & Urban Design, and V.J. Associates Inc.

Last year the Borough President and the West Harlem Art Fund obtained a $475,000 grant for Take Me to the River under the Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Program through the Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources. The funds will advance Take Me to the River's earlier Concept Plan from 143th to 155th Streets also funded by the Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.

Take Me to the River spans portions of West Harlem and southern Washington Heights, and includes the Broadway corridor from 135th to 157th Streets, extending west to Riverside Park. Thirteen proposals were received by the Borough President from top urban planning, design, architecture and transportation planning firms. From these, the jury selected three team finalists in late November. The jury included representatives from the West Harlem Arts Fund, the NYS Department of State Division of Coastal Resources, NYC Transportation and Parks and Recreation departments, Manhattan Community Boards 9 and 12, and the Borough President's Land Use and Development Department.