8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 21, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
New Astoria playground mural celebrates the neighborhood’s history
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/@jenna_bagcal
Elements from the past and present of
Astoria collide in a new mural that is currently
on view at a local playground.
Th is month, the New York City Parks
Department unveiled “Steinway Cypher”
a vibrant and colorful installation by local
artist Brittany Baldwin.
Th e mural covers an 1,100-square-foot
retaining wall in Steinway Playground
located at 37th Street and 20th Road,
and celebrates the history of the nearby
Astoria neighborhood through bold,
graphic symbolism. Th e mural took one
week to design and paint, with help from
several volunteers.
“Brittany Baldwin’s colorful new mural
makes Steinway Playground shine. Her
love for Astoria and the many businesses
and beloved landmarks that make up the
fabric of the neighborhood come through
in this mural, and we know it will bring
a smile to each passerby who encounters
it,” said NYC Parks Commissioner
Mitchell Silver in a statement.
Th e mural combines the contributions
of the Steinway family with elements
from present-day Astoria. Business
titan William Steinway began building
Steinway Village in 1870 in what is now
known as Astoria. Th e town included
the famed Steinway Piano Factory,
employee housing, a church, a library,
a kindergarten and a public trolley line.
Steinway’s contributions also lead to the
creation of current subway tunnels aft er
a push to extend the trolley lines of his
resort town of North Beach under the
East River.
“Steinway Cypher” includes a large,
white piano-like shape that sits in the
middle of the mural, which commemorates
Steinway and his contributions,
while the arrows are a nod to his progressive
ideas. Aquatic and seashell
shapes signify North Beach and the East
River. Th ere are also symbols included
in Baldwin’s piece that are a response
to mosaics seen on Mombar, a beloved
restaurant in Astoria’s Little Egypt.
“Steinway & Sons is very proud of its
rich history, which is closely intertwined
with the history of Astoria, Queens and
New York City as a whole. We are honored
that Brittany Baldwin, a talented
local artist, has chosen to pay homage
to this history through her mural installation
in Steinway Playground, which is
just a few blocks from our historic Astoria
factory,” said Steinway & Sons Senior
Director of Marketing Anthony Gilroy.
Baldwin was born and raised in
Flushing, and has had extensive experience
creating and displaying public
works of art. She has exhibited
murals in First Park in Manhattan
and Rockaway, Queens, and received a
Barrier Beatifi cation commission from
the NYC Department of Transportation
in 2016 for her piece “Bounce,” which is
Photo courtesy of Brittany Baldwin
installed on Queens Boulevard between
Woodhaven Boulevard and 59th Avenue.
“Steinway Cypher” is on view from now
until June 2019.
Newest phase of Hunters Point South project in LIC opens
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/@jenna_bagcal
Th e newest addition to Hunters
Point South in Long Island City
is now opened to the public.
On June 21, the city held a ribbon cutting
ceremony for Hunters Point
South Park Phase 2 in Long Island
City. Th e New York City Economic
Development Corporation began construction
on this phase in the second
half of 2015. Phase 2 includes areas
bound by 54th Street, Second Street,
Newtown Creek and the East River,
making the park double its current size.
Th e project was designed by architects
from several fi rms, including SWA/
Balsley and Weiss/Manfredi. Th e site of
Phase 2 spans 5.5 acres and will comprise
of a linear park, a kayak launch, a lawn for
picnics and various walking paths, some
of them leading to the waterfront. Other
features include an area with fi tness equipment
for adults and a public art piece.
Plans for this phase also include nearly
1,200 units of housing, with 800 of those
being aff ordable, and a 600-seat elementary
school that is slated to open at 57th
Avenue and Center Boulevard by 2020.
Phase 2 is part of the larger Hunters
Point South project, spearheaded by the
Hunter’s Point South Park Phase 2 opened to the public on June 21.
New York City Economic Development
Corporation. According to the EDC, the
project was proposed as a mixed-use,
aff ordable housing development built on
30 acres of land next to a scenic waterfront.
Th e development is expected to
house up to 5,000 housing units, with 60
percent of them categorized as aff ordable.
Th e EDC opened the park to the public
aft er they fi nished Phase 1 in August 2013.
Photo courtesy of SWA/Balsley
Th is phase included the areas bound by
50th Avenue to the north, Second Street
to the east, 54th Avenue to the south, and
the East River to the west. Phase 1 also
includes two mixed-use buildings with
more than 900 aff ordable housing units
and about 20,000 square feet of retail space.
Th e ribbon cutting ceremony for Phase
2 took place on Th ursday, June 21, at
10 a.m.
Steinway Cypher is on view from now through June 2019.
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