If you’ve been wondering what’s happening with the Lowline, the proposed subterranean park, there’s a good opportunity to catch up with the project during the next month. Yesterday, the Young Designers Workshop, a community engagement project of the Lowline, opened at the Mark Miller Gallery, 92 Orchard St. You can catch it through March 9.
As you probably know, the idea behind the Lowline is to create a park and cultural facility in an abandoned trolly station below Delancey Street, utilizing solar technology. This year, the team hopes to win approval from the MTA, which controls the space, for the project. The Young Designers, neighborhood students from the Educational Alliance, Henry Street Settlement and University Settlement, created 3D models depicting their ideas for the space.
During the opening yesterday, we talked with student Violet O’Leary, who showed us her vision for the Lowline, which includes a cafeteria, souvenir shop and a history wall. “I think it should be more than a park; it should be a place where you can have fun,” she said.
In addition to the models, there are several other interactive exhibits. You can take your snapshot against the Lowline backdrop and there are creative writing and drawing stations. A “scratch box” constructed from recycled materials and wooden chopsticks from restaurants in the area provides users with the chance to leave their mark on the Lowline,
Members of the community can visit the exhibit, share your own ideas and talk with members of the Lowline organization during the next 30 days. The gallery is open Thursday-Sunday, noon-6 p.m. We’ll have more coverage of the project in the next few weeks.
