'The Hills' Opening Soon

West 8 design director Adriaan Geuze and Trust for Governors Island president Leslie Koch gave a tour to some members of the press earlier this week, on the one gray day amongst summer days that otherwise have been nice and sunny. Nevertheless the impact of The Hills was not lost in the low cloud cover.

The first phase of West 8's Governors Island Park, which is immediately north of The Hills, opened in 2014. Although the island was, in the words of Geuze, as flat as a pancake before work on the park was done, the first phase introduced some gentle undulations in its large planted areas and winding paths, in effect readying visitors for the four hills.

The Hills consists of four hills built atop fill created partially from buildings demolished on the island. The Hills range in height from 30 to 70 feet (9.1 to 21.3 meters) above sea level: Grassy Hill (30' / 9.1m) has a gentle slope for relaxing; Slide Hill (38' / 11.5m) has four slides nestled in shady trees; Discovery Hill (45' / 13.7m) is home to site-specific art and a view of the Statue of Liberty; and Outlook Hill (70' / 21.3m) provides a 360-degree panorama of New York Harbor.

The 150-acre (60.7-hectare) Governors Island is split into roughly two halves: the northern end, which serves as the Governors Island National Monument and is home to military forts and other structures; and the southern end, which consists of the multi-phase park. New York took ownership of the park in 2003 and held a design competition three years later to reimagine the southern end. West 8 won the competition with a design that provides a one-of-a-kind vantage point of New York Harbor while also addressing 21st-century ecological concerns, such as rising waters.

The most striking images from West 8's competition-winning design were views of the Statue of Liberty partially hiding behind The Hills. As built, the effect is intact, since the shape and placement of the hills works with the paths to obstruct and reveal the statue, pulling visitors closer to the tallest of the four hills and its panoramic view. At 70 feet, the height is hardly arbitrary; it was determined by Geuze and Koch when they ventured up in a cherry picker to see at what elevation all is revealed. A platform at 60 feet above sea level (visible in the second photo) hides certain features (the road bed of the Brooklyn Bridge, the sea beyond the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, etc.) which are then revealed 10 feet higher.

Given that getting to Governors Island requires a ferry ride from Lower Manhattan or Brooklyn, there's an evident need to have an attraction strong enough to draw people to the island. The Hills serves that purpose in numerous ways: the four slides will be a magnet for kids; the views of the Status of Liberty will entice; installations such as Rachel Whiteread's "Cabin" will draw art lovers; and of course the views from atop Outlook Hill will be hard for anybody to resist.