SeaGlass Carousel Opening Date Announced

By Kaitlin Ahern July 21, 2015

You can soon take a ride with the 30 luminescent fish that make up the new SeaGlass Carousel at The Battery in Downtown Manhattan. The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Woodland Gardens that encircle the carousel are also set to open to the public.

The Battery Conservancy announced today that the SeaGlass Carousel, a new one-of-a-kind, permanent cultural attraction housed in a monumental nautilus shell and featuring 30 luminescent, rideable fish, will open to the public on Thursday, August 20, at The Battery, the 25-acre public park at the southern tip of Manhattan. The new Tiffany & Co. Foundation Woodland Gardens that encircle the carousel will also open that day.

SeaGlass Carousel was conceived by the award-winning WXY Architecture + Urban Design to represent The Battery's history as the original home of the New York Aquarium. WXY also designed the carousel's home: a spiraling pavilion of glass and steel inspired by the chambered nautilus. The magnificent fish figures -- some as large as 9 ½ feet wide and 13 ½ feet tall -- were designed by the internationally acclaimed George Tsypin Opera Factory, which is best known for creating the Opening Ceremony for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

The SeaGlass is also unique among carousels because it has no center post. Instead, its motors lie under the floor, allowing full visibility across and around the shell. Instead of "riding" the fish as one would on a typical carousel, visitors sit within the fish figures and glide through the sights and sounds of a 360° aquatic adventure.

More than 10 years in development, SeaGlass will bring art, architecture and music to visitors of all ages. This mystical underwater experience features thematic music presented by SiriusXM.

Visitors to SeaGlass Carousel will be welcomed by the beautiful Tiffany & Co. Foundation Woodland Gardens. Made possible by a $1 million grant from The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, the gardens were designed by acclaimed garden designer Piet Oudolf. In 2002, Oudolf accepted The Battery Conservancy's commission to develop a horticultural master plan for the park. These gardens are his fourth at The Battery, for a total of 134,000 square feet of perennial plantings.

The Battery Master Plan, now 90 percent complete or in construction, has guided the replacement of asphalt paths with great swaths of green. The plan calls for the restoration of The Battery's many monuments, the installation of stunning perennial gardens, the creation of the landmark Battery Urban Farm and the unique, stunning SeaGlass Carousel. This spring, Battery Place Bikeway Gardens and pedestrian pathways opened to throngs of visitors. The park's centerpiece, the 90,000 square foot Battery Oval opened on June 1st, along with a completely renovated comfort station on the north side of the park. The restoration of the renowned Giovanni da Verrazzano Monument is expected this summer. Designs are being completed for an expanded new playground of 1.4 acres set to open in 2017.

Carousel Hours & Admission:

SeaGlass Carousel will be open daily to the public from 10am-10pm. Admission will be $5 per ride. Access to The Battery is free and open to the public.

Also see: Our full guide to carousels in the NYC area