Seawall Reconstruction

NYFW scan (on NYFW CD: Image_08)

Socrates Sculpture Park-EAF03 show-Jan 2004/Piece: (untitled-Yellow lights, Artist: Jude Tallichet; Red lights piece: Roots of the Niteshade Family, 2004 -Artist: Matthew McCaslin/6×9 Plaubel 47 mm lens/roughly f/16 at 8 minutes/Porta 400NC film/31-Jan-2004 snow and cold!/Compare with 35mm Nikon 20mm shot/ SCAN: Epson 4870, 1200 dpi, tone adjusted prior to scan/no color adjust, partially spotted.

Socrates is located in a FEMA-designated High-Risk Coastal Flood Zone and within an Environmental Justice Area where residents have historically borne the brunt of pollution, limited park access, and disinvestment in critical infrastructure.

The NYC Park’s Seawall Reconstruction Project, managed by the NYC Parks Department, is set to begin in June 2026 and will require the closure of much of our north lawn and coastline. 

This major landwork will restore the stone riprap along the Park’s shoreline to pre-Superstorm Sandy levels—a crucial effort for the Park and the surrounding neighborhood as Socrates serves as a natural barrier protecting local homes and businesses from the East River.

Socrates will remain open and we are committed to preserving all of our programming. 
We are also taking the opportunity of the Seawall Reconstruction Project to amplify our long legacy of work in advancing ecological resilience, including expanding native plantings, improving soil health, and ongoing efforts to restore habitat across the Park.

For more general info on Hallet’s Cove, please visit nycgovparks.org.