At a press conference with Dutch officials to announce plans for the joint Dutch-
American 2009 celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival in New York Harbor, Mayor Bloomberg revealed a dramatic new public pavilion to be located at Peter Minuit Plaza at The Battery, designed by celebrated Dutch architect Ben van Berkel.
The 5,000 square-foot New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion, a gift from the Netherlands Government, is to be "a dramatic space" which the city expects to draw 5 million people a year to an "outdoor living room" for spontaneous and scheduled activities, public markets, food and information. The space will be permanently erected at the Battery in late 2009, and feature an LED-adorned facade to create color-shifting light show after sundown.
The Mayor also announced plans for a "Harbor Day" celebration on September 13th to commemorate Henry Hudson's arrival aboard the Dutch vessel "Halve Maen." Bloomberg says Harbor Day will become an annual event intended to recognize the progress made in reclaiming the city's waterfront and opening harbor parks and greenways. Much more on Henry Hudson 400 here.
