Daily digest: Debt-burdened architects flee the profession, historic gay bar is landmarked, and more news

In addition to physical works, the initiative aims to build out infrastructure for historical interpretation, storytelling, and civic engagement projects led by artists to come to a greater understanding of the purpose of monuments in the capital and beyond.

The six selected artists are Derrick Adams, Tiffany Chung, Ashon Crawley, Vanessa German, Paul Ramírez Jonas, and Wendy Red Star.

“These artists represent a set of vibrant and essential lived experiences,” said Dr. Salamishah Tillet, Pulitzer Prize–winning professor of Africana Studies at Rutgers University – Newark and the co-curator of Pulling Together, in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with them — and we can’t wait for their brilliance to bring vital new meaning to our nation’s most iconic commemorative landscape.”

Sports fields abound at a revamped Pier 42

The newly-reopened Pier 42 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side features a playground, bike path, a soccer field, tennis, basketball courts on an almost three-acre deck, fitness equipment, a bike path, among other amenities spread across eight acres. New York’s Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects was the lead firm on the revamp.

The pier was erected in 1967 as a newsprint terminal and at one time Dole used the structure to import bananas; by the time it closed in 1987, it was the island’s last working pier for cargo. Since then, Pier 42 has mostly been used as a parking lot.

“The opening of the new recreational deck at Pier 42 is truly a cause for celebration, as it will provide the residents of the Lower East Side with greater access to the waterfront while providing green and recreational spaces for people of all ages,” State Senator Brian Kavanagh told The Broadsheet.

The first phase of the project, completed in 2019, removed hazardous materials from the site and preserved structural steel bays. The Broadsheet reports that the project’s third phase will consist of a park with a garden, playground, and sea-themed public art. That addition will be complete late next year.

H/t to The Broadsheet

Al Capone’s Miami Beach home slated for demolition

The Next Miami reports that there’s a pending demolition permit for notorious gangster Al Capone’s old home in Miami Beach, Florida.

The city used to make it tough to plow down homes built before 1942. (Capone’s residence was built in 1922 and is not protected by any preservation entity.) But this year, the Florida State Legislature passed a law that superseded the local ordinance, making it easier for property owners homes.

One commenter summed up the situation and offered an alternative vision for Miami Beach urbanism: “bro we could have made it like a small museum accessible from boat so we wouldn’t have to make parking lots everywhere.”

H/t to The Next Miami