Gehry to design his first playground.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe announced that world-renowned architect Frank Gehry will design the very first playground of his long career for the Battery, the historic public park on the southernmost tip of Manhattan.

At the Battery Conservancy's 12th Annual WaterGazer Gala benefit attended by almost 600 leaders of New York City's cultural and business communities, Bloomberg and Benepe said Gehry's design for the playspace is expected to be unveiled later this year. $4 million has been earmarked for construction. The Battery Conservancy will raise the balance of the funds.

The architect's work--internationally acclaimed for its daring exploration of form, singular combination of urbanity and whimsy, and sensitivity to culture in our built environment--lends itself to this project: an original environment for children to explore and have fun.

The one-acre playground will also feature a "green" comfort station with a green roof and vegetal walls.

The new Gehry-designed playspace will be part of the larger renaissance of the Battery, including the flourishing Battery Bosque Gardens; two new gourmet "green" and organic food kiosks; a Battery Bikeway connecting Manhattan's East and West sides; a new Town Green; renovations to Peter Minuet Plaza; and the planned restoration and expansion of historic Castle Clinton.