Conversion of a historic bridge arcade into a commercial marketplace
Bridgemarket restored a section of a historic Manhattan landmark bridge to create a destination marketplace and plaza that reconnects neighborhoods. The mixed-use venue includes a 900-seat restaurant, a high-end housewares and furniture store, a 24-hour upscale supermarket, and a landscaped public plaza. It is an imaginative reuse of the “rediscovered” landmark space underneath the Queensboro Bridge, and the project itself bridges the former gap between the adjacent neighborhoods of Sutton Place and the Upper East Side with a public pathway.
Bridgemarket restored part of the landmarked Queensboro Bridge and most notably the Guastavino arches beneath it to create a stunning and beautiful series of ‘found’ or rediscovered spaces.
2003 Selection Committee
The project makes the most of the architectural details of the bridge, highlighting the beauty of the vaulted ceilings and arches in the arcade. Residents enjoy shopping at “Manhattan’s most beautiful supermarket,” and what was once a dangerous, neglected space is now a destination. The market has boosted the local economy and promoted growth in the neighborhoods surrounding the bridge.