The city broke ground yesterday on a hilly, 11-acre park on Governors Island that will offer panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, the harbor and lower Manhattan.
Among the contributors to the privately funded project are Google co-founder Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, who in their first major donation to the city ponied up a hefty $15 million.
Schmidt, who Page Six reported has paid similar amounts to outfit a Chelsea bachelor pad to entertain girlfriends, hustled away from the announcement with his wife at his side without taking questions.
Only Wendy Schmidt, who remembers visiting “the dirty city” as a child growing up in New Jersey, spoke about the duo’s backing of the park.
“I do believe that this place will become one of the best-loved places in New York City,” she said.
Their contribution raises the total in private funding to $36 million — just over half of the projected $70 million price tag.
The plan for the park includes four man-made hills, including one that reaches 80 feet above sea level built up on rubble from demolished buildings and other materials.
The Hills, as the park is to be known, is slated to open in the spring of 2015, alongside a publicly funded, 30-acre park that’s due to open later this year.