A new plaza on Newport Pier in New Jersey opened Thursday, with a dedication also held for the 80-foot-tall sculpture that towers over the waterfront greenspace facing the New York City skyline.
“Water’s Soul,” by artist Jaume Plensa, looks over the Hudson River from the bank of the pier.
“This is transformative because it adds to the arts community here in Jersey City and further enhances Jersey City as an arts destination,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. Adding, “When you think about the New Jersey coastline or the Gold Coast, you’ll see the Statue of Liberty, you’ll see the Colgate clock and you’ll see this beautiful sculpture.”
Fulop, artist Jaume Plensa, LeFrak CEO Richard LeFrak, Simon CEO David Simon and LeFrak Managing Director Jeremy Farrell spoke during the dedication.
LeFrak and Simon, chief developers of Newport, selected Plensa for the artwork on Newport Pier. The LeFrak family funded the entire project.
The sculpture is artist Plensa’s homage to water and nature. The piece encourages people to take time to be silent, self-reflect and listen for the betterment of humanity.
“The Lenape Native Americans were living over here before us, and they were deeply religious,” Plensa said. “They believe, as I believe too, that everything around us has a soul. I believe in the spirit of the water too and it’s great capacity of connection and transformation. Water, in my opinion, is the great public space, a space that does not belong to no one. But at the same time, it belongs to all of us.”
LeFrak and Simon chose Plensa as the project’s artist because Plensa knows how to create large scale works. Plensa was born in and currently works in Barcelona. He is one of the world’s foremost sculptors with projects that span the globe. His most recent sculptures focus on bringing people together through attracting people to the places where his sculptures stand.
Water Soul stands as tall as an eight-story-building and is composed of about 110 separate pieces that Plensa created in his Barcelona studio. The sculpture is made of fiberglass, resin and an incredible stainless steel structure inside. The project took four years to complete including the four months it took to install at Newport Pier.
A growing arts scene
“Arts are so important in the city and Jersey City has an emerging art scene,” said Eric Silverman of Silverman Building. “Something that’s open to the public and at this scale, it’s impactful.”
The sculpture adds to Jersey City’s growing arts scene.
“This piece is iconic,” said Christine Goodman, director of cultural affairs for the city of New Jersey. “It is going to help define the waterfront here in Jersey city, and for our exploding arts community, this is a testament to the commitment that our partners have in the city to seeing the arts grow.”
Goodman said seeing the piece up close was transformative.
“I felt an instant need to sit to stop for a moment and to reflect, and now that this space will be open to the public, I personally, as a Jersey City resident, look forward to coming back and spending time here in this space along the Hudson River and to reflect on this beautiful sculpture and take a moment for silence.” Goodman said. “I think we could all use that, and it’s a great reminder to stop every once in a while and to slow down and take a breath.”
Raj Mukherji, member of the New Jersey general assembly, said the sculpture shows how the community values the arts and is something that the community needs coming out of the pandemic.
“It’s a beautiful metaphor,” said Celia Maldonado who attended the dedication event. “After the pandemic, we have to stop and to be quiet for a while to listen to our surroundings, so i think it’s very adequate for after this long period, we’re rethinking everything again, and we’re being aware of our surroundings. We live our life so fast and we don’t stop and observe what we have to be grateful for.”
Fostering development
The art installation is also going to help Jersey City develop.
“What’s extraordinary about this is this vision, coming to reality here is going to be a place where people come from far and wide,” said Jeremy Farrell, managing director of development and community relations for LeFrak. “And when they come, they’re going to stay in Jersey City. And they’re going to stay in, they’re going to use our restaurants. So they’re going to use our facilities. And they’re going to learn about the extraordinary culture and the extraordinary talents of Jersey City. And they’re going to spend their dollars in Jersey City. And when they spend those dollars in Jersey City, the entire community will not only benefit from a piece of art, but from an economic engine. And that’s a continuation of the economic engine that Newport has been since its inception some 35 years ago. And it’s an amazing milestone that we celebrate today.”
Richard LeFrak’s father, Sam LeFrak and David Simon’s father, Melvin Simon, came to the pier 40 years ago where there was nothing but the bygone industry of what once was an active trading port. The pier was an abandoned rail yard, covered in rundown warehouses and unused land.
“I remember when my father (Sam LeFrak) came here with my brother (Richard LeFrak), and he said this is my dream, and my brother said to him this actually looks like a nightmare,” said Denise LeFrak. “My father, whatever he did, he put all of his life into it. I’m happy. I feel like it’s a big legacy to my dad who isn’t here anymore.”
When most saw an unchangeable wasteland, Richard’s father saw huge possibilities, Richard said.
“His (Sam LeFrak) dream was the opportunity to invest in an area with such untapped potential and fully transform it into a place where families, working people, businesses, and culture could thrive and live together. Mel Simon, my father and I made a promise to revitalize this land. And today, I can confidently say that the promises has been kept many many times over,” Richard said.
“Newport is once again becoming the first link across the Hudson,” Richard said. “But instead of lumps of coal, it is now the flow of people, commerce and ideas. Connecting New Jersey in New York and the rest of the country, a bond I know will only go stronger over time. I believe Water Soul is a monument to that link.”
The pier’s waterfront esplanade and landscaped walkway, designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, connects to Newport’s existing mile-long Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.
The landscape architects have worked with the LeFrak’s in the past on projects like Newport Green Park. The firm looked at the history of the area to develop the landscape design. Where Water Soul now stands used to be the Lackawanna Train Station. The pathway leading to the sculpture incorporates darker gray bands of concrete to represent the train lines that used to lead to the waterfront.
“The sculpture is fantastic, ” said Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architect Dan Yannaccone. “It’s very prominent from Manhattan and New Jersey, and it helps the public to be able to enjoy as much open space as possible and enjoy the waterfront.”
