7. Manmade Hills Were Constructed on Governors Island
There are four hills that make up The Hills. The tallest, Lookout Hill, rises 70 feet above sea level. Slide Hill goes up 40 feet, Grassy Hill is 25 feet tall, and Discovery Hill reaches 40 feet. Discovery Hill has ornamental and experimental trees and plantings and a site-specific installation by British artist Rachel Whiteread. The park is designed by a Dutch firm, West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, a nice connection to the history of New York, which was settled by the Dutch.
The Hills are constructed from fill made out of the demolition of existing buildings on this part of the island, recycled materials, and steel slag from Perth Amboy. The materials were blended in South Jersey and barged into Governors Island (using 137 barges). 14 buildings were demolished on this end of the island and 100% of the materials were reused, amounting to about 50,000 cubic yards. The walls are from the former sea wall on Governors Island.