In two straight lines...

This evening is the monthly full community board #2 meeting. On the agenda for this evening: the proposed redesign of the Jane St/w 4th/8th intersection into a permanent greenspace.

I walk by that intersection each morning as I walk my daughter to school. My favorite part of the redesign is the designation of the original position of West Fourth via pavers embedded in the ground. The artist rendering show two slim lines to mark the position of the street about 1930. If you have been to the Blavony bars at Grand Central,like Metrazur, then you've already seen a similar architectural feature. In the balcony, you can see embedded rails in the floor as you sip a glass of wine. Same idea for the parklet.

I have also seen this used in another major European Capital city to designate the historical placement in the current street pattern. Can you guess where this is?

In Berlin. Weaving around the strasse and platz in Berlin, is a line of two cobblestones embedded into the street. This line commemorates the historical placement of the Berlin Wall when it divided East and West Berlin. That line of cobblestones has become something to remember, something to look for, as a feature of the city.

I hope this feature remains parr of the redesign. Someday soon, it will show up in guidebooks and become something that folks remember. Mark my words, soon people will start to ask after 'that place where the have the lines in the ground.'

Stay tuned got an update tomorrow after the meeting!!!


If you too live in the neighborhood and would like to know how the improvement could positively impact your property values, please contact me today.


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