Roberto Clemente Plaza is located in ‘The Hub” of the South Bronx at the crossroads of Willis Ave, E 149th St and Third Ave. The plaza features an undulating, bench-lined, planted strip that accommodates commuter waiting and creates a flexible-use plaza centered on a fountain.
In 2007, the NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) conducted a study of the Bronx Hub area from the community’s desire for a more pedestrian-friendly setting. In 2008, NYCDOT repurposed the Roberto Clemente Plaza to provide extra street space, including bike lanes. Two years later, they passed the torch to the NYS Department of Design & Construction (DDC) Design Excellence Program to create a permanent Roberto Clemente Plaza. DDC partnered with Brooklyn-based Garrison Architects to design the plaza.
Roberto Clemente Plaza was designed by Garrison Architects and had a $16.2M total development cost. The project was completed after ten years by NYC Department of Design and Construction.
Garrison Architects met with members of the community and observed some of the tens of thousands of bus and subway commuters that pass through the plaza daily. Afterwards, the design team set their aim:
“our team faced the challenge of creating a space that embraces the neighborhood’s thriving culture, while also providing commuters and residents with a green oasis of calm amidst the chaos.” - Garrison Architects
The vision was a commercial center of the Bronx. They developed an undulating, bench-lined stone planter strip that perfectly articulates the bus commuter waiting and loading zone, and forms an open, flexible-use Plaza, centered around a fountain – an amenity that the community strongly desires. What’s more, the design of the Plaza supports a memorial component developed by a community group-funded artist, Melissa Calderon, that celebrates the humanitarian contributions of Roberto Clemente.
Roberto Clemente Plaza opened in November of 2018 and its ribbon cutting coincided with Small Business Saturday. Roberto Clemente Plaza greeted hundreds of visitors gathered to celebrate the completion of the ten-year public works project and to support local small business in the Hub.
Joined by former Congressman Jose Serrano, former Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Councilmembers Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Mark Gjonaj, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, former New York City Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Gregg Bishop, former Bronx Department of Transportation Commissioner Nivardo Lopez, and the previous BID Executive Director.
