Art, architecture unveiled at the new MTA LIRR Atlantic Terminal

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority opened the new Long Island Rail Road Atlantic Terminal in downtown Brooklyn, improving the experience of travel for thousands of commuters each day in a majestic pavilion that features an artist/architect collaboration in a soaring, light-filled atrium.

The project architects,
di Domenico Partners and the artists, Allan Wexler and Ellen Wexler, were
challenged with working together to create a special place of arrival in the
entry pavilion that reaches from the street level down to the ticket office,
waiting room and LIRR and NYC Transit subways.

"This terminal
reminds us of how central the transit system is to all of our lives," said
Jay H. Walder, MTA Chairman and CEO. "It provides a 21st century customer
experience for the thousands of subway and rail riders who use it to enter our
system. They are met with a soaring atrium that not only brings natural light
to the interior but an exterior that restores a civic presence’ to this
important Brooklyn community."

The artists were
commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit, which oversees the installation of
permanent public art throughout the MTA’s 5,000-square-mile network of subways,
buses and commuter trains. The Wexlers, a husband and wife team, proposed using
the vocabulary of architectural materials that appear throughout the subway and
railroad complex into a two-story sculptural balcony that visually evokes the
adventure of travel. Titled "Overlook," the work references scenic
overlooks often found in national parks, where travelers are encouraged to
pause and take in the larger scene. Just as the grand clock in Grand Central
Terminal, "Overlook" is destined to become a meeting place and local
landmark, through which more than 25,000 LIRR passengers and 31,000 NYC Transit
riders pass each day.

"This vantage point
was created as a collaborative effort combining our design that placed the wall
between two sweeping stairways and the artists’ vision of morphing that structural
wall into an outcropping of rocks," said architect John di Domenico.

Allan Wexler commented,
"We sought to create the experience of viewing an urban public space as if
it were a nature setting, using granite tiles mathematically pixilated to
create nooks and crannies similar to those found in rock walls. Our public work
seeks to engage the people who use the space, creating a rich experience that
resonates over time."

Ellen Wexler said,
"We wanted to create a space where one can stop and take in the dynamic
energy, which is as exciting as stopping to take in the Grand Canyon or other
major vista. Carving out a place for the "experience" of pausing and
people watching to happen within this great civic architecture was our
particular creative challenge."

The Brooklyn communities that
surround the terminal-Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Downtown Brooklyn and Park
Slope-have witnessed tremendous growth in the past decade, particularly among
artists and families.

The Entry Pavilion meets
the MTA’s architectural design goals to provide clear paths of travel to the adjacent
retail plaza, connections to 10 subway lines and quick access from the street
to the LIRR ticket office, waiting room and tracks. A large display board
listing departures and arrivals is installed below the overlook, providing
convenient information to commuters who become the choreographed dance to those
overlooking from above the artwork.

The Wexlers’ use of
granite squares to form the overlook wall relate this monumental public art
work to the work of George Trakas which appears in passageways that connect
subway lines somewhere in the transit complex. Trakas uses granite and stone to
demarcate areas, and nautical iconography to reference the meeting place of the
connected Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street subway stations.

"Adding a layer of
geographical reference to the complex’s series of public art is a subtle, but
important, link that connects the art works to the architecture and the
conceptual play on the travel experience," said Sandra Bloodworth,
Director, MTA Arts for Transit. "The best public art is about place, and
the Wexlers take the idea of travel and capture that moment of excitement when
you pause and take in the view."