Skip to main content

Meditations on Light, Freedom, and Architecture: At Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on a Sunday Afternoon

Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, located at the south tip of Roosevelt Island, officially opened to the public on October 24, 2012, just a few days before the city was hit by Hurricane Sandy. What follows are pictures and thoughts from a visit to the park on the afternoon of Sunday, December 2, 2012.

The story of the park is long, but in short, architect Louis Kahn designed plans for this monument in the months before his death in 1974. After decades of unrealized plans and lack of financing, momentum to build Kahn's FDR memorial picked up a few years ago. Residents of Roosevelt Island were divided on whether or not this was a good idea. At the time, this site was a rare thing - a small, verdant patch of undeveloped land, a remnant of a primordial Mannahatta. Building on a green space in New York City with uncommon views of the surroundings was a tough decision. Especially if the thing in question was a big deal with many question marks.









But then there is Louis Kahn (1901- 1974). Though his monuments of 20th century architecture are few in number - Yale University Art Gallery, the Salk Institute in La Jolla, the National Assembly Building in Bangladesh, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, among them - his designs soared to a sense of timelessness, permanence, a summoning of elemental basics. Light, volume, sky, room. But above all, light.

Kahn was a late bloomer, discovering in mid-career that the ruins of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt embodied the fundamental principles of the truth of the built environment. You couldn't argue with the classics.


It was somewhat warm on this particular afternoon, the first Sunday in December. The sun, sheathed behind clouds, cast its light on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island in a teasing radiance. The sun acted as if it wanted to play with Louis Kahn. Who can reveal God? The sun or the architect? Kahn once said, "The sun never knew how great it was until it struck the side of a building."

On this day, the sky and the light and the clouds over the East River and the monument became one and the same. The game was tied this day between Louis Kahn and the sun. 


A park sign at the entrance asks the visitor to engage in "quiet strolling." No rough stuff, no loud music, no boisterous banter. It's time to think about freedom. And, please, do so quietly.

As an aside, I would imagine that most fights for freedom have taken place with plenty of noise. I don't think the French Revolution or the American Revolution or any contemporary uprising anywhere in the world has been all that quiet.

But, there are many definitions of freedom, and if you listen - yes, please hush - you may be able to hear them.

You don't do the fighting for freedom here in the park. You think about what freedom means, and take the fight for it elsewhere.



Implicit in Kahn's design for the park is a summoning to a destination, an end point, a vanishing line. Guided by the heaviest of granite quarried in North Carolina - luminous, mysterious, transformed in the hues and tone of whatever time and season you visit - you are propelled to a destination.


An open room and New York City. That's Manhattan over there to the west.



Keep going to the vanishing point.


Four freedoms, says Franklin D. Roosevelt, from his State of the Union address on January 6, 1941. Freedoms "of" and freedoms "from" - within these definitions of "to" and "from," we find our basic disputes in American political discourse.

Many of us agree on freedom "of" as the right of every person to speak freely and to worship in their own way.

"Freedom from want," on the other hand, translates into a human right to a basic standard of living - food, clothes, housing. Franklin Roosevelt upheld this notion. Not everyone agrees. This contentious ideological argument permeates American politics. The debate about freedom from want will likely continue. 

Even more definitions of freedom are at play here.

You see, the Kahn-design memorial for FDR is so inspiring for freedom-loving peoples that apparently many individuals, having reached the south tip, are so overcome with freedom and joy that they want to keep going. A few leap up and onto the southernmost wall and then spring themselves over to further explore the rocky quarry below. This is some powerful architecture. And against park rules.

Because of these freedom-loving individuals, the New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation now staffs representatives on site to stop people from descending the final few steps of the memorial. The idea is to halt any impulse to leap up on the south wall and into Freedom Land.

In short, it's like in junior high school where a couple of kids did something stupid and out of bounds, and now everyone is grounded.


This huge bust of FDR on the right, impossible to discern in detail in this image, is by Jo Davidson (1883-1952). You may also know Davidson's sculpture of Gertrude Stein in Bryant Park.


The confluence of the elements on this particular Sunday and the design of the park encouraged deep retrospection and reverie. The diffuse light of the sun in a hazy atmosphere caused the buildings to lose individuated distinctions. They were reduced to rectangles and squares. The trees, bereft of leaves, revealed their anatomies.

(Insert your favorite inspiring thought here.)


I think I can say without hesitation that this is the greatest public space ever to be built in the middle of the East River.


The tall building in the distance was once known as Freedom Tower but now it's known as One World Trade Center, or 1WTC. In addition to 1 WTC, many public housing projects are within view of the park's southern focal point, symbols of that freedom from want. And to the west are more symbolically charged structures - the United Nations, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building. All the good buildings in the skyline go beyond real estate and speak to higher aspirations.

But, returning to the foreground of the park... Why does Four Freedoms Park feel so right? Part of the answer lies in the symmetry of trees, the security of granite, the elegance of geometry, and the confidence of an uncommon architect. 

Just look at that light.
______

Park hours are Thursday – Sunday, 9 am – 5 pm. www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org
Recommended transportation: The Roosevelt Island Tramway, the aerial tram that connects Manhattan and Roosevelt Island, offers sweeping views of the island, the East River, and the park.

Though sited on a vulnerable island in the East River, Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park was undamaged during Hurricane Sandy.

Images by Walking Off the Big Apple from Sunday afternoon, December 2, 2012.

Comments

  1. I love the lines and all the silhouettes. Looks like a wonderful place to walk.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with the author's assessment of the Louis Kahn design, but I have a small quibble with the description of the parcel of land it was built on:

    "a small, verdant patch of undeveloped land, a remnant of a primordial Mannahatta."

    This was scrubby landfill before it was developed, not primordial at all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. SML,
    Point well taken. I concede.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just beautiful, Teri. And I love the Kahn quote! One of the things we've been seeking out of late on visits to New York are quiet little places to momentarily escape the noise and energy. I'm adding this park to my list.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:48 PM

    This post was so touching. I could 'feel' the place. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

25 Things To Do Near the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

(updated 2016) The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) at 11 W. 53rd Street is near many other New York City attractions, so before or after a trip to the museum, a short walk in any direction could easily take in additional experiences. Drawing a square on a map with the museum at the center, a shape bounded by 58th Street to the north and 48th Street to the south, with 7th Avenue to the west and Park Avenue to the east, proves the point of the area's cultural richness. (A map follows the list below.) While well-known sightseeing stops fall with these boundaries, most notably Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the great swath of famous Fifth Avenue stores, cultural visitors may also want to check out places such as the Austrian Cultural Forum, the 57th Street galleries, the Onassis Cultural Center, and the Municipal Art Society. The image above shows an intriguing glimpse of the tops of two Beaux-Arts buildings through an opening of the wall inside MoMA's scu

Museums in New York Open on Mondays

Please see this post for current announcements of reopenings . Please consult the museum websites for changes in days and hours. UPDATED September 23, 2020 Advance tickets required for many museum reopenings. Please check museum websites for details. • The  Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)  reopened to the public on  August 27 , with new hours for the first month, through September 27: from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday to the public; and from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.  on Mondays for MoMA members on ly. Admission will be free to all visitors Tuesday through Sunday, through September 27, made possible by UNIQLO. See this  new post on WOTBA for a sense of the experience attending the museum . •  New-York Historical Society  reopened on  August 14  with an outdoor exhibition, "Hope Wanted: New York City Under Quarantine,” in the rear courtyard. The exhibit by activist Kevin Powell and photographer Kay Hickman will highlight how New Yorkers weathered the quarantine

25 Things to Do Near the Metropolitan Museum of Art

(updated) Sitting on the steps in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of those iconic things to do in New York City. On a sunny day, the wide steps can become crowded with the young and old, the tourist and the resident. It's tempting to stay awhile and soak in the sun and the sights. Everyone has reasons for lingering there, with one being the shared pleasure of people watching along this expansive stretch of Fifth Avenue, a painting come to life. Certainly, just getting off one's feet for a moment is welcome, especially if the previous hours involved walking through the entirety of art history from prehistoric to the contemporary. The entrance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue The Metropolitan Museum of Art should be a singular pilgrimage, uninterrupted by feeble attempts to take in more exhibitions along Museum Mile. Pity the poor visitor who tries "to do" multiple museum exhibitions in one day, albeit ambitious, noble, and uplift

25 Things to Do Near the American Museum of Natural History

After visiting the American Museum of Natural History, explore attractions on the Upper West Side or in Central Park. Visitors to New York often run around from one major tourist site to the next, sometimes from one side of the city to the other, and in the process, exhaust themselves thoroughly. Ambitious itineraries often include something like coffee in the Village in the morning, lunch near MoMA, a couple of hours in the museum, a ride on the Staten Island Ferry in the afternoon, cocktails at the midtown hotel, a quick dinner, and then a Broadway show. It's a wonder people don't pass out at the theater. While sitting on the steps of the American Museum of History, consider exploring the Upper West Side and nearby sites of interest in Central Park. There's a better way to plan a New York trip. Consider grouping attractions together geographically. Several posts on this site address this recommended approach. The Wild West of the Tecumseh Playground Groupin

Visiting New York on a Monday

Mondays are OK. Let's have a look at some of the museums open Mondays - • American Museum of Natural History • Jewish Museum • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) • National Museum of the American Indian • Neue Galerie • Guggenheim Museum • South Street Seaport Museum Any of these museums could be paired with a nearby restaurant or bar, making a complete full afternoon or day in New York. Monday is especially good for a museum visit, because the crowds tend to be thinner, and restaurants, too, tend to be less busy than on a weekend. A fun museum and bistro walk on the Upper West Side would be a combination of the American Museum of Natural History and the nearby Cafe Lalo on W. 83rd St. I also would suggest a pairing of the Neue Galerie with a nearby cafe, but the two cafes inside the musuem are so good, why go anywhere else? Image above: The Guggenheim on left and Beaux-Arts townhouse on right. View from E. 88th St. by Walking Off the Big Apple.

Taking a Constitutional Walk

A long time ago individuals going out for a walk, especially to get fresh air and exercise, often referred to the activity as "taking a constitutional walk." The word "constitutional" refers to one's constitution or physical makeup, so a constitutional walk was considered beneficial to one's overall wellbeing. (Or, as some would prefer to call it, "wellness.") The phrase is more common in British literature than in American letters. As early as the mid-nineteenth century, many American commentators expressed concern that their countrymen were falling into lazy and unhealthy habits. Newspaper columnists and editorial writers urged their readers to take up the practice of the "constitutional" walk. One such essay, " Walking as an Exercise," originally printed in the Philadelphia Gazette and reprinted in New England Farmer , Volume 11, 1859, urges the people of farm areas to take up walking. City dwellers seemed to have the

The High Line and Chelsea Market: A Good Pairing for a Walk

(revised 2017) The advent of spring, with its signs of growth and rebirth, is apparent both on the High Line , where volunteers are cutting away the old growth to reveal fresh blooms, and inside the Chelsea Market, where new tenants are revitalizing the space. A walk to take in both can become an exploration of bounty and surprise, a sensual walk of adventure and sustenance. A good pairing for a walk: The High Line and Chelsea Market Walking the High Line for a round trip from Gansevoort to W. 30th and then back again adds up to a healthy 2-mile walk. Regular walkers of the elevated park look for an excuse to go there. Especially delightful is showing off the park, a model of its kind, to visitors from out of town. A stroll through Chelsea Market. Time check. If you haven't stopped into Chelsea Market lately, you may want to take a detour from the High Line at the stairs on W. 16th St. and walk through the market for a quick assessment or a sampling. Among the sampli

14 Useful Mobile Apps for Walking New York City

Texting and walking at the same time is wrong. Talking on the phone while strolling down the street is wrong. Leaving the sidewalk to stop and consult the information on a cellphone, preferably while alone, is OK. What's on Walking Off the Big Apple's iPhone: A List Walkmeter GPS Walking Stopwatch for Fitness and Weight Loss . While out walking, Walkmeter tracks routes, time, speed, and elevation. This is an excellent app for recording improvised or impromptu strolls, especially with many unplanned detours. The GPS function maps out the actual route. The app keeps a running tally of calories burned while walking, useful for weight loss goals. Another welcome feature is the ability to switch over to other modes of activity, including cycling. An indispensable app for city walkers. $4.99  New York City Compass , designed by Francesco Bertelli, is an elegant compass calibrated for Manhattan, with indications for Uptown, East Side, Downtown, and West Side. While facing a cert

Spring Training: Conquering the Hilly Terrain of Northern Manhattan

Visitors to the Northern Manhattan neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Inwood may realize at some point that we don't call them the "heights" for nothing. Walking a street uptown can involve a steep climb. In several places, the difference between elevations is so great that "step streets" are required. The step street at W. 215th connects Park Terrace East with Broadway below. Photo from February 29, 2016. The W. 215th Street step street in the Inwood neighborhood (above) connects Park Terrace East, a residential street high above Broadway, with the busy thoroughfare below. The nearby Isham Park sits on high land that was once a family estate. The climb to get there makes it feel like a secret park. There are nearly a hundred of these step streets in New York City, with many of them over a hundred years old. There are 63 step streets in the Bronx and 20 in Washington Heights and Inwood.* The city is currently renovating some of the more popularl

From Penn Station to New York Landmarks: Measuring Walking Distance and Time in Manhattan

(revised 2017) How long does it take to walk from Penn Station/Madison Square Garden to well-known destinations in Manhattan? What are the best walking routes ? What if I don't want to see anything in particular but just want to walk around? In addition to the thousands of working commuters from the surrounding area, especially from New Jersey and Long Island who arrive at Penn Station via New Jersey Transit or the Long Island Rail Road, many people arrive at the station just to spend time in The City. Some have questions. Furthermore, a sporting event may have brought you to Madison Square Garden (above Penn Station), and you want to check out what the city offers near the event. This post if for you.  The map below should help you measure walking distances and times from the station to well-known destinations in Manhattan - Bryant Park , the Metropolitan Museum of Art , the Empire State Building , Times Square , Rockefeller Center , Washington Square Park , the High Line