On the first weekend of November, while walking my neighborhood, I passed by a flyer with an intriguing picture (see above). It showed the small green space that sits between Leni’s playground and the promenade, with a kiosk in it. It asked the question: would you like to see a European-style cafe or kiosk in this space? and provided a link to a survey. Here’s the full text.
The Idea: Inspired by the outdoor cafe kiosks that enhance public spaces like parks and promenades in some of the world’s most beautiful and beloved cities — such as those that dot Lisbon — this kiosk (see concept image below) would occupy the fenced-in lot on the western edge of Pierrepont Playground, adjacent to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Blending into the lot’s greenery, the kiosk would leave the Promenade itself commercial-free and unchanged. Accompanied by folding bistro tables and chairs, the kiosk would serve good coffee, pastries and light snacks, and provide a scenic and delightful outdoor cafe and meeting place — a rarity in the Heights — for the community. (A portion of proceeds could support the Promenade Gardens Conservancy, which currently uses a small part of the lot to store gardening equipment; the plan could accommodate a shed for their purposes.)
The authors and sponsors of this proposal left themselves anonymous. After giving it some thought I posted this response. TLDR: nice idea in theory, but let’s research the place properly first.
While this idea seems nice in the abstract and from an aesthetic point of view, I think it should be studied further. It does not seem worth the expense, unless its potential utility is backed up by study and evidence.
From the statement, I gather that the main drivers behind this idea are 1) utilizing an underutilized green space; 2) providing an outdoor gathering space for the community. I think these two needs could be met with simpler solutions that may activate the public realm even more. Suggestions below.
If the kiosk’s main purpose is an outdoor cafe for gathering in the European style, then why not extend a permit to a coffee truck and set up foldable chairs and tables on the southwest corner of Pierrepont Street & Pierrepont Place? In fact, Deploy Coffee had a truck there in 2023-24. All it needed was some places to sit to achieve what you describe. The sidewalk is capacious there, and the cafe would overlap with– and thereby enhance– the liveliness of the public right of way. The area has plenty of benches, which are halfway to gathering space, so why not find a solution that uses what we already have?
Generally speaking, maybe a cafe is superfluous. The complaint that there are no outdoor coffee places in the Heights is both hair-splitting and false. There are half a dozen places to get coffee within a 5-minute walk of that spot, including Lassen & Hennigs, Joe, and L’Appartement 4F which all have active outdoor seating. Perhaps there is another use for the kiosk which would fill a neighborhood need better, such as an old-school newsstand (the American version of Lisbon’s kiosks) or a fruit stand.
Another purpose of the kiosk could be tourist information and wayfinding. Again, this is not worth the expense. A large-format map, prominent signage, or placards can serve this purpose (like the “I live in Brooklyn by choice” pylon on the corner of Montague & Pierrepont Place). And who will staff the kiosk? Their salary must be budgeted for, unless it is a private for-profit operator.
A third purpose could be beautification. With respect to the BHA, the neighborhood is already beautiful and well-preserved and doesn’t need more pieces of vintage architecture. If there were an existing unused structure that we could repurpose into a kiosk then the justification is there. But otherwise less so.
Last but not least, how was this location selected for a kiosk? Was it based on available land? Intuition? If we must have one, a kiosk’s location and level of service (i.e. what it provides) should be determined through data gathering, analysis and community engagement in situ. Where is the heaviest foot traffic in the area? Where are the places that most need a “rest spot”? Who are the ideal users of the kiosk? Would people actually use the space for informal encounters and meetings? A rigorous on-the-ground analysis à la Jan Gehl (see link below) would be the best basis upon which to decide where a cute neighborhood cafe kiosk might go. I am familiar with these methods and am happy to put a plan of action together. Thinking about it just a moment based on the parameters stated above, a better location might be at either end of the promenade: on Remsen or at the Fruit Street Sitting Area. Those are not on the promenade (satisfying the requirement for “commercial-free”) but with better views of Manhattan than at Pierrepont.
Since there’s interest in this proposal, let’s take a step back and work together with the community to study it further! Happy to help!
Appendix
For anyone wanting to add their responses, the URL to the survey is here again.
The day after I posted my response, I passed by the same spot and saw that the flyer was gone.
The pavilion currently being built at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 entrance at the base of Old Fulton Street (designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien no less) is of a similar ilk. Though of a larger scale, its goal is to create a more pronounced arrival point to the park. It will also provide wayfinding, food & drink, and restrooms. I would suggest letting this get built, witness a season of it in use, and interview the design and owner team to get a better sense how the project was conceived and whether there are any immediate lessons.
It seems there has been interest in adding amenities around the promenade for at least a few years already. Fred Kent and Kathy Madden, longtime placemaking advocates and founders of The Social Life Project and PlacemakingX, wrote an article in 2021 on this very topic. It’s thin on specifics and reads like a journal entry, which is fine as an opening salvo, but subsequent discussions must dig into the specifics on the ground and lay out a placemaking framework.
