Granite Block

Usage: Historic

Historic smooth-finish granite block unit pavers often referred to as “cobblestones,” commonly used throughout New York City in the nineteenth century.

Greene Street, Manhattan
Granite blocks

Benefits

  • Reinforces historic character
  • Calms vehicle traffic
  • Can visually delineate separation of street uses or modal priorities
  • Granite blocks are relatively easy to remove and reset, especially for utility access

Considerations

See General Guidelines

See considerations of Granite Paver

  • May generate significant noise from vehicle tires
  • Uneven surface can hinder pedestrians, cyclists, and people with disabilities; attention must be given to navigation by people with disabilities at crosswalks, and by cyclists
  • Can be slippery when wet

Application

  • Should be used wherever there is existing granite block in historic districts where the historic fabric remains intact
  • Use of this material is subject to LPC review when used in historic districts with existing granite blocks
  • May be used to provide visual delineation to separate bike lanes from vehicle lanes or vehicle lanes from pedestrian areas
  • Can be used to designate areas of the roadbed not intended for regular vehicle travel, such as pedestrian streets or textured gutters, aprons, or medians

Design

Specification source: DOT Standard Highway Specifications Section 2.06, 6.04
 

  • Can be sand-set for easier installation and maintenance and for greater permeability, or mortar-set for stronger structural properties
  • May require concrete base
  • Provision must be made for a smooth cycling surface, regardless of whether or not the roadway is part of a designated bike route. Design treatments include medium to large-sized thermal-finished granite
  • Finish: Natural, aged, or tumbled is typical and produces a rough surface texture that is commonly seen throughout the city
  • Finish: Thermal or flamed produces a smooth surface texture that is typically ADA-compliant; consider using where there is a pedestrian path of travel
  • Sustainability opportunity: Salvaged blocks
  • Sustainability opportunity: Permeable installation

Maintenance

  • DOT generally maintains this material in historic districts, but any third party that excavates it must restore it in kind or as directed by DOT pursuant to Section 2-11(e)(12)(vii) of Title 34 of the RCNY
  • Use of this material outside of historic districts requires a maintenance agreement
  • Stones can become loose over time and require intensive, regular maintenance

 

Workers replacing cobblestone

NYC DOT Sidewalks Crew replaces granite blocks: Bruckner Boulevard, Bronx

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