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Landmarks issues favorable advisory report for renewal of Bryant Park seasonal master plan
Summary
The commission issued a favorable advisory report on renewing Bryant Park Corporation’s master plan for seasonal installations — including the Winter Village and short-term activations — while commissioners and speakers urged continued attention to the balance between commercial programming and unprogrammed park time.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday issued a favorable advisory report for renewal of Bryant Park Corporation’s master plan governing seasonal installations in Bryant Park, including the summer program, the Winter Village (holiday market and ice rink), and short-term activations.
The report is advisory because seasonal installations are typically under the Public Design Commission’s purview; the LPC’s review remains relevant as part of the park’s status as a scenic landmark. The renewal request proposes no significant changes from the 2016 master plan but does authorize continued use of temporary facilities and a limited new practice to place temporary decking over ivy beds during the Winter Village to improve pedestrian circulation.
Mark Votto of Bryant Park Corporation described the master plan as essentially unchanged from the prior 10-year approval, outlining summer performances, winter holiday market and rink operations, and short activations of a few days each. He said decking over ivy beds was trialed last year and improved circulation without damaging plantings; decking would be restored and ivy beds replanted in spring.
Public comment from preservation groups urged the commission to consider whether the cumulative effect of frequent, long-duration market events has shifted the park’s character away from its formal design. John Graham of the Victorian Society noted Bryant Park’s 1934 French-classical design and said that “the gradual and in recent years intense and lengthy use of the park for marketplace events and large recreational and cultural gatherings has tipped the balance too far,” urging dialogue on reconfiguring scale and time frames of commercial activities. Kaylee Johnson of the Historic Districts Council voiced a similar desire to reduce duration and frequency of installations so the park can “exist as just a park” more often.
Commissioners accepted the applicant’s proposal and the temporary decking approach but recorded discussion urging Bryant Park Corporation and Parks to continue evaluating duration and frequency of installations; the commission recommended that dismantling schedules and restoration plans be submitted with future applications. The commission’s advisory report concluded the temporary installations, properly removed and restored, would not diminish the park’s historic character and recommended a favorable report.
