Roberto Clemente Plaza
Michael Brady overseeing the construction of the plaza in 2018
Roberto Clemente Plaza is located in ‘The Hub” of the South Bronx at the crossroads of Willis Ave, E 149th St and Third Ave. The plaza features an undulating, bench-lined, planted strip that accommodates commuter waiting and creates a flexible-use plaza centered on a fountain.
In 2007, the NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) conducted a study of the Bronx Hub area from the community’s desire for a more pedestrian-friendly setting. In 2008, NYCDOT repurposed the Roberto Clemente Plaza to provide extra street space, including bike lanes. Two years later, they passed the torch to the NYS Department of Design & Construction (DDC) Design Excellence Program to create a permanent Roberto Clemente Plaza. DDC partnered with Brooklyn-based Garrison Architects to design the plaza.
Roberto Clemente Plaza was designed by Garrision Architects and had a $16.2M total development cost. The project was completed after ten years by NYC Department. The plaza has been enhanced by $40,000 discretionary allocation from Councilmember Rafael Salamanca, Jr. for free plaza programming and supplemental maintenance, and will soon see food kiosks supported by a $500,000 capital investment by Governor Cuomo.
Garrison Architects met with members of the community and observed some of the tens of thousands of bus and subway commuters that pass through the plaza daily. Afterwards, the design team set their aim:
“Our goal was to celebrate the intense urbanity of the area while providing the community with a ‘green oasis a midst the chaos’.”
Their vision was a Herald Square of the Bronx. They developed an undulating, bench-lined stone planter strip that perfectly articulates the bus commuter waiting and loading zone, and forms an open, flexible-use Plaza, centered around a fountain – an amenity that the community strongly desires. What’s more, the design of the Plaza will support a memorial component developed by a community group-funded artist that will celebrate the humanitarian contributions of Roberto Clemente.
Architectural renderings of the master design of Roberto Clemente Plaza
Roberto Clemente Plaza opened to much fanfare in November of 2018 and its ribbon cutting coincided with Small Business Saturday. Roberto Clemente Plaza greeted hundreds of visitors gathered to celebrate the completion of the ten-year public works project and to support local small business in the Hub.
Joined by Congressman Jose Serrano, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Councilmembers Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Mark Gjonaj, Ydanis Rodriguez, New York City Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Gregg Bishop, and Bronx Department of Transportation Commissioner Nivardo Lopez, Third Avenue BID Executive Director spoke to the organization's vision for the Avenue and that this open space would be a critical component of that vision.
The plaza currently greets over 75,000 visitors daily.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. unveils the Roberto Clemente Plaza with community members