Gail Wittwer-Laird

Principal, Director of Starr Whitehouse Hudson

With almost two decades of experience in municipal government, Landscape Architect Gail Wittwer-Laird brings deep knowledge of public realm design to Starr Whitehouse. Her 18-year tenure with NYC Parks included such positions as Deputy Administrator for Riverside Park, Director of Greenstreets, Senior Designer for Capital Projects, and Design Director for Staten Island Capital Projects. While at NYC Parks, Gail led high-profile efforts like early construction at Freshkills Park and the $29 million design-build contract for Peter Minuit Plaza, a collaboration with NYC DOT and the MTA.

After joining Starr Whitehouse in 2016, Gail opened our Hudson Studio in 2020 to help State agencies, municipal governments, and communities from Long Island to Niagara Falls adapt historic parks and downtowns to new ecological and social needs. Projects include the DRI-funded reconstruction of Hudson’s historic Promenade Hill Park, an upcoming renovation of Hudson’s historic Public Square, the restoration of a critical stretch of Lake Ontario shoreline at Hamlin Beach State Park, open space design guidelines for the New York Power Authority’s Reimagine the Canal initiative, a wayfinding and signage plan for Niagara Falls State Park, gateway designs in six communities along the Empire State Trail, and a new master plan for the Olmsted Brothers’ Thompson Park in Watertown. Gail is an award-winning designer who has been named a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome and recognized for her work on the Irish Hunger Memorial, CaVaLa Park, and other projects.

Representative Projects:

Park Design
Promenade Hill Park Universal Access and Plaza Redesign, Hudson, NY
Public Square Park Restoration, Hudson, New York
Furgary Fishing Village Vision Plan, Hudson, New York
Hamlin Beach State Park Shoreline Restoration, Hamlin, NY
Thompson Park Master Plan, Watertown, NY
Bayard Cutting Arboretum Visitor Center & Parking Expansion, Great River, NY
Orient Beach State Park Playground, Long Island Region
Teatown Nature Center, Ossining, NY
Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, Jones Beach State Park, NY
Jones Beach West Games, Jones Beach State Park, NY
Nissequogue River State Park Master Plan, Kings Park, NY
Scout Park Redesign, Hamlin, NY
Dr. Oliver Bronson House Landscape Vision Plan, Hudson, NY
Charles Williams Park, Hudson, NY
Oakdale Lake Park Playground, Hudson, NY
Manhattan Greenway Harlem River Waterfront Park Design, New York, NY
Tompkins Square Park Playground, New York, NY*
Crescent Beach Park Plan and Storm Resiliency, Staten Island, NY*
Bleecker Street Sitting Area Renovation, New York, NY*
Albert Capsouto Park (a.k.a. CaVaLa Park), New York, NY*
Freshkills East Park Restoration, Staten Island, NY*

Streets, Public Realm, and Infrastructure
NYPA Reimagine the Canals Design Guidelines, Multiple Sites, NYS
Empire State Trail Gateway Guidelines and Implementation, Multiple Sites, NYS
Tibbetts Brook Daylighting, Bronx, NY
Brooklyn Bridge Esplanade, New York, NY
Hudson North Bay Trail Connector, Hudson, NY
FDR Promenade Rehabilitation, New York, NY
Greenstreets Design Citywide, New York, NY*
Hudson River Valley Greenway Bronx Link Study, Bronx, NY*
Van Name, Van Pelt Plaza, Staten Island, NY*
Peter Minuit Plaza, New York, NY*

Site Plans + Housing
StuyTown Fitness Park and Play Areas, New York, NY
Germantown Residence, Germantown, NY
Mill Brook Senior Housing Terrace and Community Gardens, Bronx, NY
Story Avenue Apartments, Bronx, NY
Compass Residences Affordable Housing, Bronx, NY
Phipps Lambert Houses, Bronx, NY
Morningside House Senior Center Courtyard Renovation, Bronx, NY
Cooke-Levy Residential Garden, Riverdale, NY*
Klein Residential Garden, Riverdale, NY*
Irish Hunger Memorial, New York, NY*
Morrison-Golden Residential Garden, Rhinebeck, NY*
Garden Parterre in Chaumont-sur-Loire, France*

* Work completed prior to joining Starr Whitehouse