motorgate garage: the living relic of a utopian dream

a black-and-white film photograph of the motorgate garage, located on roosevelt island. you can see it, along with the east river, from the roosevelt island bridge — *the entry sign of the brutalist motorgate garage on new york city’s roosevelt island, as seen from the roosevelt island brige*

once upon a time, a utopian vision was presented to the city of new york. its goal was to revitalize a small and historically unattractive patch of land — roosevelt island — to combat the city’s perennial issue of housing. grand ideas for a new urban community were proposed: residential buildings in which each apartment would have idyllic river views; shops, parks, and restaurants placed along a single main street that would cut through the island; and a car-free environment meant to eliminate traffic congestion and make the island ultra suitable for pedestrians

in order to turn this carless vision into a reality, a space in which to hold them was paramount. so, the motorgate garage was built. not only would the brutalist parking structure work as intended, but it would be the island’s only street entry. moreover, it was built for more than just parking; the garage was designed as the centerpiece for life on the island, an interactive hub for the comforts and necessities of daily living

what is the motorgate garage?

the motorgate garage is a six-story parking structure located on the east side of roosevelt island in new york city. it was constructed in nineteen seventy-four, and it was designed by kallman and mckinell, the same architects behind boston city hall

the garage was originally built to hold one thousand cars. it underwent an expansion in nineteen ninety and there is no consensus in regards to its actual capacity. estimated ranges fall between seventeen hundred and two thousand cars, a figure provided by the roosevelt island historical society (rihs)

a black-and-white image of the brutalist motorgate garage, a parking structure on roosevelt island — *the motorgate garage runs north-to-south along main street on roosevelt island*

motorgate’s architecture and design

the brutalist car park features a waffle-like façade along its north-to-south sides with vertical columns jutting out just past the top level. wider concrete columns form the base of the building and connect it directly to the street below. by doing so, one of the garage’s levels is actually extended over the sidewalk, so it’s possible to walk underneath the garage when you pass it along main street

the height of the parking garage is roughly sixty-four feet. this does not include the height of the two massive stair towers present on either end of the garage, nor the height of the entry sign on the garage’s southern side. it measures one hundred and twenty-one feet in length, a figure that does not include the entry/exit ramp

according to the rihs, motorgate holds — or perhaps at one point, held — the curious distinction of being the single project for which the most concrete was used. structural technologies, an engineering and construction services company, helped repair the garage after some damages were noticed in twenty nineteen, and in their project page they state that over sixty thousand square feet of concrete was protected as part of their work

moreover, edg — a design, renovation, and engineering firm based in nyc — was in charge of inspecting motorgate as part of its routine local law one twenty six compliance check; they list motorgate as having a total area of two hundred and forty thousand square feet

motorgate is the only entryway for vehicles on the island. to enter it, residents and visitors must drive in from queens via the roosevelt island bridge

the garage’s brutalist concrete façade pattern extends beyond its top level

the mini columns that separate the motorgate garage from the main street sidewalk look like concrete cooling vents

*the gently-curving main street will take you right up to the motorgate garage, where you’ll see just how embedded it is in the surrounding community*

motorgate garage’s role within roosevelt island

motorgate is the masterpiece of roosevelt island’s original master plan, and as such, it was built to honor the plan’s initial intentions. these included extending the purpose of the structure beyond its exclusive use as a parking garage and integrating it into the daily life of the community around it. the result is a hub from which island life can operate

department of sanitation’s avac facility

the northern end of the motorgate complex houses the department of sanitation’s automated vacuum collection (avac) facility, new york city’s only automated trash collection system

like motorgate, this system is a surviving element of roosevelt island’s original utopian vision. the idea of removing car traffic on the island extended to garbage trucks, so the system was built and is still in use today

it’s one of only two such systems in the entire country

fire department of new york’s special operations command

also on the northern end of the garage is the fire department of new york’s (fdny) special operations command (soc)

according to citymeetings.nyc, a website that summarizes and transcribes the city’s public proceedings, the fdny’s soc is a “specialized unit focused on complex rescue operations for both civilians and firefighters.” they are called to “unusual incidents and hazardous emergencies,” per the fdny

the division services the entire city, not just roosevelt island

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post office

motorgate garage is home to roosevelt island’s post office. it’s located on the ground floor of the garage near its southern end

supermarket

on the southern corner of motorgate is roosevelt island’s only supermarket. today, it’s a foodtown; the supermarket was rebranded in twenty twenty after serving the community as a gristede’s for many, many years

the motorgate atrium

past its parking spaces, the motorgate garage extends into an atrium on its southern end. it’s the point where pedestrian entry to the island, the garage’s entry/exit ramp, and the bridge out to queens all converge. the result is an enclosed space with high ceilings that houses the garage’s stairs and elevators for access throughout it

to maximize the space and further integrate motorgate within community life, the atrium often exhibits art installations and murals

the slideshow below shows photos of the atrium and the spaces outside of it

the motorgate garage atrium as seen from the outside

the entry/exit ramp loops around itself before reaching the parking spaces or the street below it

the escalator located within the motorgate garage atrium

there’s street access to the perimeter of the island from below the motorgate garage

the motorgate garage as seen from below the entry/exit ramp. the atrium is below the parking spaces

a black-and-white image showing how the motorgate garage's entry/exit ramp loops around itself — *the motorgate garage’s entry/exit ramp loops around itself before entering the parking structure. it’s the only entry for cars on the island, shown here in a wintry setting*

the original plan for the island ultimately failed. its utopic schemes may have vanished into thin, polluted air, but remnants of them shape roosevelt island into what it is today

take the f or m trains there and you’ll see that some of the originally-proposed housing units were built; you can find them — along with their unique design — hugging main street in what metropolis magazine describes as a “concrete canyon.” old and new parks — including one designed by renowned architect louis khan — coexist on the island. the red tram that connects residents to manhattan is still the island’s most famous symbol. and, needless to say, the visionary parking structure on which the entire plan hinged was indeed built

today, the motorgate garage stands as a living, brutalist relic of this bygone utopia that only seemed to have existed on paper. and yet it’s an integral part of roosevelt island, one whose mere existence continues to have an impact on the daily life of its residents. we can then only hope that this is enough to save the motorgate garage from suffering the same fate as other brutalist car parks

motorgate garage: quick facts

completion date: 1974
use: parking garage

architect: kallmann & mckinnel
address: 688 main street, roosevelt island, ny 10044

motorgate garage photos

click on each image to see an enlarged version

a black-and-white image showing a corner of the motorgate garage as seen from below — *the six-story parking garage was designed to absorb all car traffic on roosevelt island. sometimes, travelers of the avian variety enjoy using it as a rest stop*

an exterior view of the motorgate garage’s atrium, hidden by shadows by the entry/exit ramp above it

a shot from underneath the motorgate garage’s entry sign

a black-and-white image showing the top exterior view of the motorgate garage's atrium

a black-and-white image of the southern stair tower of the motorgate garage