News

LG Electronics Agrees to Protect the Palisades

Posted June 28, 2015

As reported by Wave Hill, 6/28/2015:

This week, LG Electronics USA and a number of conservation groups announced that they have reached an agreement on a design for LG’s new North American headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. As you may know, LG had proposed a design that would have had a major impact on the vistas Wave Hill visitors and so many others on this side of the Hudson enjoy of New Jersey and the Palisades.

The new design will create a world-class, sustainably designed building while protecting the iconic vistas and integrity of the Palisades Park. A National Natural and Historic Landmark. For more than two years, Wave Hill, and especially our former Executive Director Claudia Bonn, have actively supported efforts to find a compromise that would satisfy all parties concerned.

Given the importance of these vistas to Wave Hill and its visitors, this week’s announcement is especially gratifying. The views of the Hudson River and Palisades are a living testament to the legacy of George Walbridge Perkins, whose generous gift of his estate to the City of New York 50 years ago created the public garden that is now Wave Hill. As the first commissioner of the Palisades Interstate Park, Perkins, also an avid preservationist, worked tirelessly to protect this natural landmark of the Hudson Valley. Wave Hill honors his passion through its own mission, helping to preserve these breathtaking vistas.

With both corporate and conservation needs at stake, we are grateful for the perseverance of the many parties who worked tirelessly over the last year to seek a solution that would satisfy public and private interests—LG Electronics USA, Scenic Hudson, the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Natural Resources Defense Council, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, as well as numerous state and local entities, including the city of Englewood Cliffs. Environmental lawyer Laurance Rockefeller, whose family gave to the public the land that then became the Palisades Interstate Park, played a key role in the discussions that led to this week’s agreement.