By Jennifer Glickel and Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Staff
BATTERY PARK CITY — The half-acre Teardrop Park South opened on Wednesday as part of the ongoing reconstruction of Battery Park City since 9/11.
The park, which is located just south of Murray Street, serves as a gathering space for visitors and also for several adjacent cultural institutions, including Poets House and a new branch of the New York Public Library.
Designed by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, the park incorporates natural stones and a waterfall to evoke an upstate, non-urban feel.
The park is surrounded by a U-shaped building that blocks much natural light, so heliostats — computerized mirrors — were installed atop a neighboring building to bounce additional sunlight into the park.
Teardrop Park South complements nearby Teardrop Park North, which was completed in 2004.