New installation livens up Lou Gehrig Plaza near Yankee Stadium

unnamed_dbe7ce
The new SAIL installation, which opened at Lou Gehrig Plaza on August 20, 2024.
Photo courtesy 161st Street BID

A new installation called SAIL, inspired by air and water, is helping to transform Lou Gehrig Plaza near Yankee Stadium into a community gathering space.

The 161st Street Business Improvement District (BID) unveiled the display on Aug. 20. According to the BID, it was conceived collaboratively by merchants, residents and local stakeholders. The installation features blue benches and white canopies meant to portray the “energetic, upward motion of the wind looking onto the vista of the Harlem River, capturing the spirit of the Bronx.”

The installation now provides shade over the paved plaza — which previously baked under the sun — as well as seating and a prominent space for community events.

The 161st Street Business Improvement District announced the SAIL project, which provides a gathering space for the community.Photo courtesy 161st Street BID

“Lou Gehrig Plaza has always been a landmark for visitors but, for the local community it has mostly been a ‘pass-through.’ With the SAIL we invite people to come together, linger and share,” said Shachi Pandey of the MUD Workshop, which helped design the installation.

“The 161st Street Business Improvement District is ecstatic to bring SAIL to our neighborhood and Lou Gehrig Plaza,” said Trey Jenkins, executive director of the 161st Street BID. “The Plaza has been an underutilized public space in our BID until recent years, and this project will jumpstart the plans that we have for the future of the plaza and this district.”

The installation was designed by Metropolitan Urban Design (MUD) Workshop, Habitat Workshop and Sighte Studio. It was part of a program called Connected Corridors: Envisioning the Future of Our Main Streets, which has worked with local BIDs to revitalize and activate underutilized areas. 


Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes