The first section of Brooklyn Bridge Park opened to the public 15 years ago, transforming a stretch of crumbling shipping piers and abandoned warehouses into one of New York City's most celebrated green spaces.

"This is a native plant that's a magnet for ruby throated hummingbirds," said Bella Ciabattoni, deputy director of horticulture, as she pointed out the lush landscaping that now covers 85 acres along the East River.

"The waterfront piers sat largely underutilized, abandoned, as so much of New York City's working waterfront really transitioned from goods being delivered by the waterways to goods being delivered by other methods," he said. 

Now, the park's carefully designed gardens and habitats make many visitors forget they are in the middle of Brooklyn.

"These gardens are really special in the park because they contain water year round, and that creates a unique habitat for us," Ciabattoni said in another corner of the park featuring a small pond.

Wildlife returns to NYC in restored wetlands

The greenspace has also become an educational hub. This year, its education center celebrates its 10th anniversary, alongside a growing slate of programs for students. Earlier this summer, college students participated in a 24-hour "bio-blitz," surveying wildlife in the park.

"We have a lot of programs that allow people to actually, like just dive into our environment around us. For example, we have a seining program where you can watch our educators pull things up humanely with nets and see that we have, you know, eels, we have seahorses, we have fish all around us," said Kate Mirand Calleri, the park's director of education.

Wildlife has returned to the restored wetlands, including five species of turtles. Students have also studied recovering populations of seahorses and oysters.

The park was made possible through a public-private partnership. 

"90% of the park is parkland, 10% is private development, residential and commercial. Those buildings' property tax is paid directly to the park organization and that's how we run the park day in, day out," Landau said.

Though the funding model was controversial during the planning phase, it has made the park financially self-sustaining, attracting about 6 million visitors each year.

"People all around the world came here just for the view," said Michelle Tincu, visiting from Georgia.

"It's an amazing place. I think that you have a lot of space to breathe," said Flor Castillo, visiting from Mexico.

With the park now fully built out, leaders say the focus will be on expanding its education center and programming for future generations.

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