In 1973 a concrete mixing truck fell through the elevated West Side Highway in New York City. The highway was condemned but remained in place for eight years as an industrial ruin. The structure however was to have a second life. Along with the derelict shipping piers on the Hudson River waterfront, the highway structure was reclaimed by the neighboring communities as an elevated urban promenade.
The extant section of highway was approximately two miles long and fifteen feet above street level.
The northern end terminated abruptly in the air where the structure was cut from the demolished section. Pedestrians were able to access the highway level via the original vehicular access ramps. The structure afforded panoramic views of the river.
This proposal was to create a proper terminus for this new promenade. The terminus is disconnected from the highway acting as a symbolic gatehouse and destination, creating a focal point along the promenade.
The structure is in the shape of a modern ceremonial archway where the actual path to the street is through a modest stairway.
The structure itself will provide community meeting and gathering spaces as well as an observation point viewing the extent of the Hudson River waterfront.
(And this was 30 years before the Highline.)
In memory of Raimund Abraham:
"It is not the memory that you remember, it is the memory that remembers you".