Riverbank State Park opened to the public in 1993, quickly becoming one of New York State’s busiest parks. Occupying the 28-acre roof of the North River Sewage Treatment Facility on the Hudson River, Riverbank is New York City’s first public green roof and one of the largest still today. This lush urban park is precedent setting and a demonstration of social equity and environmental justice.
Riverbank features spectacular promenade views of the Hudson River, the Palisades, and the George Washington Bridge. The siting of the park’s buildings had to take into account the treatment plant’s location on the riverbank and the subsequent potential for flooding, wind exposure, and views of the river. Four of the park buildings are clustered inward around a south-facing courtyard for protection against winter winds blowing off the Hudson. Fiberglass skylights are set in pyramids at the four corners of each building. The park is ringed by a promenade high above the Hudson and clad in concrete with arched openings that respect the form of the nearby bridge.