Last week, Untapped Cities brought its readers into a special sneak peek visit into The Hills, the new park on Governors Island. On a tour given by the Governors Island Trust, we walked through the historic part of the island, through the first phase of park space that opened in 2014 (Hammock Grove and the Play Lawn), and then behind locked gates to The Hills, which opens on July 19th.
Here are some of the fun facts we learned on this tour led by Meagan O’Neil from the Governors Island Trust and landscape architect Will Johnson:
1. The Hills Will Reach 70 Feet Above Sea Level
There are four hill that make up The Hills. The tallest, Lookout Hill is rises 70 feet above sea level. Slide Hill goes up 40 feet, Grassy Hill is 25 feet up, and Discovery Hill reach 40 feet. Discovery hill will have ornamental and experimental trees and plantings and a site-specific installation by British artist Rachel Whiteread. The park is designed by Dutch firm, West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, a nice connection to the history of New York, which was settled by the Dutch.