Today the winter solstice will arrive at 5:23 PM Eastern Standard Time. Marking the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, it brings with it the dark days and long shadows of winter.
On the edge of Cadman Plaza Park, the luxury condo tower replacing the Business, Career and Education Federal Depository Library in Downtown Brooklyn is about two-thirds complete. Even in its semi-complete state, it is casting long shadows into Cadman Plaza Park.
On Wednesday, December 19th, at 12:40 PM those shadows already stretched long, blanketing much of the west side of the park with a considerable swath of shadow. You can see below a photo of this shadowy dimness (above- no photoshopping) looking back towards the building under construction. In the opposite direction, in a picture taken from exactly the same spot (below- no photoshopping), you can see where at 12:40 PM the sun was still hitting the park, the branching bare tree limbs configuring pleasing patterns on the glowing ground. Next year the view from that point will be different: The sun won’t hit the ground there; you will see more shadow instead.
As the sun progressed during the early afternoon, the shadows on west side of Cadman Plaza Park would progress to the east to fall over the eastern side of the park.
Shadows and where they fall will, of course, change all year. In the summer, come solar noon, those shadows will trace a course that is less northern and more directly east as they edge out from the luxury tower. Nevertheless, in all, the luxury tower that replaced a valuable library will bring a lot more shadow to this public park in the second half of the day every days all year round.
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