Jersey City’s Riverview-Fisk Park is finally getting a new gazebo. It’s been four years since Hurricane Sandy’s winds blew the roof off the historic structure. Now, the Riverview Neighborhood Association has unveiled plans for a replacement for the destroyed gazebo.
Our friends at Ur Doing It Right report that the new gazebo’s design will improve upon the original in terms of accessibility, water retention, and functionality. In order to take full advantage of the park’s magnificent views, the gazebo’s open design features a 10-foot high ceiling and thinner columns.
The park’s new gazebo is a functional, modern space that recalls its usage as a bandstand decades ago. With electricity, recessed lighting, and plumbing, along with a large workspace with storage beneath it, the new gazebo boasts “a wider scope than the original,” according to Kern Weissman, president of the Riverview Neighborhood Association.
“It’s a replacement for the entire structure – new foundation, new storage space underneath, and new platform,” said Weissman. “Additionally, there will be benches and a footpath (approximately 80 feet long) from the north side. That path increases accessibility.”
The RNA hopes to dedicate the gazebo to the late Maria Tuzzo, who spent 27 years as a volunteer and an influential member of its board.
Additional improvements to the park’s landscaping will combat curb erosion, ensuring the gazebo’s structural integrity. Thousands of plants and a micro-swale will create a rainwater gully, with the thirsty, low-profile plantings capturing and absorbing runoff without obstructing views. “If the landscaping plans prove to be successful, we’ll extend the swale along the whole eastern side of the park,” said Weissman.
The million-dollar project, funded partially by FEMA relief funds, is expected to be completed in Spring 2017.
