On the roof is Andy Goldsworthy's first permanent commission in New York City, the Garden&nbsp;of Stones. &nbsp;In Jewish tradition stones are often placed on graves as a sign of remembrance.&nbsp; Here 18 boulders are hollowed out and each planted with a single dwarf oak tree planted by the artist, Holocaust survivors, and their families in 2003.

  the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy

Museum of Jewish Heritage, Battery Park City

Garden of Stones

At the tip of Battery Park&nbsp;is the Museum of Jewish Heritage. &nbsp;Its&nbsp;mission is to educate people about the 20th century Jewish experience before, during, and after the Holocaust. Over 2 million people have visited since it opened in 1997.&nbsp; The Museum's core exhibition combines archival material with modern media to provide a thoughtful and moving chronicle of history, keeping the memory of the past alive and offering hope for the future.&nbsp;

Across the water, Lady Liberty lifts her lamp and Ellis Island marks the gateway through which millions flowed into this country seeking refuge. The Museum&amp;rsquo;s meaningful location inspires its mission.  CultureNOW

 Sheathed in light granite, the three-story structure is hexagonal. Symbolizing the Museum&amp;rsquo;s commitment to representing Jewish life and culture as it has endured and evolved.  Sidney Druckman

The Museum's mission is to educate diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust.  

The Museum&amp;rsquo;s first public art installation features portraits of Holocaust survivors living in New York City. Photojournalist B.A. Van Sise spent the past year photographing survivors who are part of the Museum&amp;rsquo;s Speakers Bureau and who serve as Gallery Educators. Eyewitness was commissioned for&amp;nbsp;Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Museum. The installation consists of 31 photographs of Holocaust survivors (between 4 and 13 feet high) filling the windows of the Museum&amp;rsquo;s fa&amp;ccedil;ade and windows along the Reflection Passage on the Museum&amp;rsquo;s third floor.    

Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

Established in 1968, the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) was charged with developing and maintaining a well-balanced community on the Lower West Side of Manhattan, in place of deteriorating piers that once stood in the Hudson River. The project involved reclaiming the land, replanning the area, and facilitating new construction of a mixed commercial and residential community. The timeline above provides information on key events in Battery Park City’s history.Battery Park City has since achieved worldwide acclaim as a model for community renewal. Through a public/private partnership between BPCA and private developers, this planned community has become a blueprint for successful urban development.

David Marwell, the Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, talks about the completion of the museum's expansion, which was shortly after September 11, 2001. Located five blocks south of the 9/11 attacks, the museum was the closest cultural institution to the Trade Towers site, thus impact on the neighborhood was profound. The expansion opened on the second anniversary of 9/11.

Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

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Public Art