Landscape Information
Once utilized by numerous industrial operations in the twentieth century, this nineteen acre parcel was designated a brownfield site before it was acquired by Scenic Hudson in 1996. Situated between railway tracks and the eastern shore of the Hudson River, the site incorporates an artificial, two-pronged peninsula that extends approximately 1000 feet into the tidal waterway, framing a harbor. From 1997 to 2017 Scenic Hudson remediated contaminated soils with oversight by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and from 2004 to 2019 Reed Hilderbrand landscape architects redesigned the property.
From the main entrance, visitors descend west along an access road that splits, leading to parallel, east-west oriented linear drives and parking areas. The two drives frame lawns, an arced path, and a picnic pavilion. The upper drive serves as the central spine of the northern peninsula, framing crested turf earthworks, and terminating at a level platform overlooking the river. The lower drive proceeds past deciduous trees including sycamore, cottonwood, and oak, leading to a plaza paved with concrete slabs found on site, a pavilion designed by Architecture Research Office, and a harbor. A path connects to the southern peninsula, which features a boardwalk and lawn edged with sycamores. The boardwalk affords expansive views of the river and the Hudson Highlands, and is structurally reinforced at its western end by a site-specific installation, Beacon Point, by George Trakas. The terraced artwork serves as a functional waterfront deck and reveals the changing levels of the tidal river.
From the boardwalk and lawn, arced paths lead southeast, traversing a restored wetland and a meadow planted with native goldenrod, switchgrass, and little bluestem. Additional earthworks or “upland buttresses” buffer inland areas from flooding while framing borrowed river and mountain views. One earthwork features a curved, amphitheater-like seating area, which serves as an outdoor classroom. The paths collectively connect to the Klara Sauer Trail, linking the park to Denning’s Point to the south. The project received the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Award of Excellence in the General Design Category in 2015
