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{{short description|Public park in New York City}}{{good article}}{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}

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253.17ha|abbr=on}}New York City Department of Parks and Recreation>NYC Parks| status = Open all year#Transportation>Subway and bus; see below| embedded =

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40537331display=inline}}| locmapin =| area =| built = 1874Including Calvert Vaux, Samuel Parsons, and Julius Munckwitz in the 1870s, and Gilmore D. Clarke, Michael Rapuano, and Clinton Loyd in the 1930s}}| architecture =2008a}}| refnum = 83001743| designated_other2_name = New York City Landmarkps=.1980}}| designated_other2_abbr = NYCL| designated_other2_link = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission| designated_other2_number =| designated_other2_color = #FFE978}}}}Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park in the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The park measures {{convert|4|mi|km}} long and {{Convert|100|to|500|ft|abbr=}} wide, running between the Hudson River and Henry Hudson Parkway to the west and the serpentine Riverside Drive to the east.Riverside Park was established by land condemnation in 1872 and was developed concurrently with Riverside Drive. Originally running between 72nd and 125th Streets,{{efn|name=harlem-streets}} it was extended northward in the first decade of the 20th century. When the park was first laid out, the right-of-way of the New York Central Railroad's West Side Line blocked access to the river. In the 1930s, under parks commissioner Robert Moses's West Side improvement project, the railroad track was covered with an esplanade and several recreational facilities. Few modifications were made to the park until the 1980s, when it was renovated and extended southward as part of the Riverside South development.Riverside Park is part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, a pedestrian and bicycle route around Manhattan's waterfront. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation operates and maintains the park, although its operating activities are supported by the Riverside Park Conservancy. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a New York City scenic landmark.{{TOC limit|3}}

History

Planning

The {{convert|191|acre|ha}} of land in the original park between 72nd and 125th Streets{{efn|name=harlem-streets}} were once inhabited by the Lenape people, but by the 18th century, European settlers used it for farming.{{harvnb|ps=.|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|p=68}} Over the years, several villas were also constructed along the river. The area's two largest settlements were the villages of Bloomingdale and Manhattanville.{{harvnb|Cromley|1984|ps=.|p=240}} In 1846, the Hudson River Railroad (later the West Side Line and Hudson Line) was built along the waterfront, connecting New York City to Albany.{{harvnb|ps=.|Grimm|Schroeder|2007|p=3}}WEB,weblink Riverside Park Highlights, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, August 20, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, By the 1850s, New York City was growing quickly. The construction of Central Park nearby in the 1860s spurred construction in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Similar development in the Upper West Side was slower to come: by 1865, only West 76th and 86th Streets had been completed and opened.{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|p=7}} By an act of the New York State Legislature passed that year, the Central Park commissioners had the responsibility of executing the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, the Manhattan street grid, within Upper Manhattan.In 1865, Central Park commissioner William R. Martin put forth the first proposal for a riverside park along the Hudson River.{{harvnb|Cromley|1984|p=240}}; {{harvnb|Grimm|Schroeder|2007|p=3}}; WEB,weblink Board of Commissioners of the Central Park – Documents: May 11, 1865 – January 11, 1866, 1866, Government of New York City, nyc.gov, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, 3–5, July 30, 2019, February 3, 2018,weblink live, An act providing for such was presented to the Legislature by commissioner Andrew Haswell Green in 1866 and approved the same year. In his argument for a riverside park, Green wrote that the only location on the Hudson River waterfront reserved for park space was the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan island.{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|p=9}} The first segment of Riverside Park was acquired in 1872 by condemning lots for a cost of $7.25 million, or over {{Convert|80000|$/acre||abbr=}} for each of the {{Convert|119|acre||abbr=}} in the original park. The park also included the construction of Riverside Avenue, a boulevard lined with trees and overlooking the future park and the waterfront. The avenue was initially laid out in 1868 and was {{Convert|100|ft||abbr=}} wide for its entire length.WEB,weblink Board of Commissioners of the NYC Dept of Public Parks – Documents: January 20, 1874 – April 30, 1875, 1875, Government of New York City, nyc.gov, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, 2–8, July 30, 2019, February 3, 2018,weblink live, The plans for Riverside Park and Avenue brought the attention of William M. Tweed, who bought several lots adjacent to the park in anticipation of its construction.

Construction

Late 19th century

(File:(King1893NYC) pg913 RIVERSIDE PARK.jpg|thumb|left|The future park site depicted in the King's Handbook of New York City, circa 1890)Initially, Riverside Avenue had been planned to run in a straight line, which would have required a retaining wall and extensive fill.{{harvnb|ps=.|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|p=69}} However, the area's difficult topography had come to the attention of the Manhattan park commissioners.{{harvnb|Cromley|1984|ps=.|p=241}} In 1873, the commissioners selected Frederick Law Olmsted, a park commissioner who had also designed Central Park, to redesign the park and avenue.{{harvnb|Grimm|Schroeder|2007|ps=.|p=4}}{{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=9}} Olmsted devised a plan that would create a main road extending from 72nd to 123rd Streets, with overpasses at 79th and 96th Streets, as well as "carriage roads" to serve the nearby neighborhood.{{harvnb|ps=.|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|p=71}}{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|p=10}} The park and drive together would vary between {{Convert|70|and|150|ft|abbr=}} wide. Olmsted's plan, which also included designs for Fort Washington Park and Morningside Park, called for these parklands to be designed around the existing landscape. Olmsted wrote in 1873 that Riverside Park "presented great advantages as a park because the river bank had been for a century occupied as the lawns and ornamental gardens in front of the country seats along its banks. Its foliage was fine, and its views magnificent."{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|ps=.|p=8}}Construction on Riverside Park and Avenue started in 1874 or 1876, and Olmsted was ousted as parks superintendent in 1877.CENTRAL PARK HISTORY, 291–293, Designers such as Calvert Vaux, Samuel Parsons, and Julius Munckwitz laid out the stretch of park and road between 72nd and 125th Streets in a way that made the park look like the Hudson Valley.{{harvnb|ps=.|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|p=73}} Riverside Avenue opened in 1880 and quickly became popular, though parts of the road, such as the 96th Street overpass, remained incomplete through the 1900s.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|ps=.|p=11}} There was no single plan that encompassed the entirety of Riverside Park, which meant it would incorporate a number of separate designs. Olmsted wrote in 1886 that "in many important particulars the design has been mangled," saying that the park's terrain was too steep for recreation, and that Riverside Avenue's trees might block views of the river; despite this, Olmsted's offer to work with Vaux to create a unified park design was denied. Furthermore, the railroad cut the park off from the waterfront.{{harvnb|ps=.|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|p=75}}With the park's construction came land purchases in the Upper West Side. However, development in the neighborhood was slow to come since most of the lots were too expensive for the middle class to purchase, and the wealthy preferred to settle on the East Side of Manhattan. Development of low-density residences and small apartment buildings did not come until the 1880s. These residents formed an organization called the West End Avenue Association, which in 1888 published a booklet titled West End Avenue: Riverside Park in the City of New York extolling the park's benefits.BOOK,weblink West End Avenue, Riverside Park in the City of New York, West End Avenue Association, New York, American bank note Company, 1888, At the time, few wealthy families had settled in the area. It would take until the 1900s and 1910s before Riverside Avenue and Park gained its present-day concentration of upscale houses.{{harvnb|Cromley|1984|ps=.|p=242}}The park was not extensively developed, either. A temporary tomb for the late U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant was built at Claremont Hill in 1885, since Grant had said he wanted to be buried in New York City.{{harvnb|Cromley|1984|ps=.|p=243}}NEWS,weblink A Nation at a Tomb; the Reunited Republic Buries Gen. Grant, August 9, 1885, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, Additionally, paths between 72nd and 79th Streets were laid out in 1891. However, in an 1893 article, The New York Times mentioned that "but a small portion of the land thus acquired has been improved so as to be capable of public use."NEWS,weblink Want the Lines Fixed; Riverside Park, Residents Urge, Should Extend to the Bulkhead Line, November 16, 1893, The New York Times, August 21, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 21, 2019,weblink live, At the time, Riverside Park did not include the shorefront. In November 1893, a compromise was reached that would allow for the shore to be used for parkland while still allowing access to docks,NEWS,weblink Compromise Party Agreed On; Dispute as to Protecting Riverside Park's Water Front Practically Settled., November 18, 1893, The New York Times, August 21, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 21, 2019,weblink live, and two months later, the park commissioners adopted plans to build docks at 79th and 96th Streets.NEWS,weblink Riverside Park Improvements; Plans for Docks at the Foot of Seventy ninth and Ninety-sixth Streets., January 13, 1894, The New York Times, August 21, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 21, 2019,weblink live, Under an act of the state legislature, the city condemned an underwater area along the shore, which would allow for land reclamation to expand the park. By 1895, paths had been laid out between 96th and 120th Streets.{{harvnb|ps=.|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|p=76}} The permanent Grant's Tomb opened at 122nd Street two years later.NEWS, 1897-04-28, At Gen. Grant's Tomb; Exercises Impressive in Their Simplicity Mark the Transfer of the Handsome Monument., en, The New York Times,weblink 2023-08-11, 0362-4331, NEWS, 28 Apr 1897, Great Day in Gotham: the Tomb of Ulysses B. Grant Dedicated With Pomp and Splendor, 1, Austin Daily Statesman, {{ProQuest, 1623512153, }} Notwithstanding the lack of park development, Riverside Park still contained nuisances such as outdoor sewerage, squatters' shacks, and coal emissions from the trains,{{harvnb|Grimm|Schroeder|2007|ps=.|p=7}} as well as garbage dumps at 77th and 96th Streets. These conditions persisted through the 1920s.{{harvnb|ps=.|Buttenwieser|1999|p=135}}

Early 20th century

(File:RSDViaductc1900.jpg|thumb|Riverside Drive Viaduct under construction)Several structures were built in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Two monuments were built in Riverside Park at the turn of the 20th century:{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|ps=.|p=12}} a permanent Grant's Tomb at 120th Street in 1897,NEWS,weblink Grant Tomb Accepted; The City of New York Formally Receives the Memorial of the Great General, April 28, 1897, The New York Times, August 21, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 21, 2019,weblink live, and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at 89th Street in 1902.NEWS, Memorial Day Observances, May 31, 1902, New-York Tribune, 1, 2, newspapers.com {{open access, }}NEWS,weblink Tribute to Heroes on Memorial Day; Veterans Once Again Remember Their Sleeping Comrades., May 31, 1902, The New York Times, August 21, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 21, 2019,weblink live, This would be followed by eight other monuments from the 1900s through 1920s. The construction of these monuments signified a major change in the use of Riverside Park, since the park was no longer being idealized solely as a nature space,{{harvnb|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|ps=.|p=86}} though writer Elizabeth Cromley says that the monuments did fit in with the park aesthetic. Another structure built in the park was Columbia University's Gould Boathouse, constructed at 115th Street in 1896.NEWS,weblink Historic Boathouse Burned As Throngs Watch On Riverside, August 31, 1927, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, The Gould Boathouse was abandoned by the 1920s and burned down in 1927. Other waterfront projects undertaken in the first decade of the 20th century included a stadium for Columbia University, built along land fill.NEWS,weblink Educational Structures, January 2, 1907, New-York Tribune, August 16, 2019, 14, newspapers.com {{open access, }} Another proposal, for a new boathouse for the Motor Boat Club, was vetoed by mayor George B. McClellan Jr. in 1906.NEWS,weblink Mayor Protects Public, May 16, 1906, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 21, 2019, 2, Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access, }}The existence of Manhattan Valley at approximately 125th Street blocked the further development of Riverside Park northward. However, in 1898, construction commenced on an ornate viaduct carrying Riverside Drive across the valley to 135th Street.NEWS,weblink Rebuilding the Riverside Drive Viaduct, Daley, Suzanne, May 22, 1985, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, The viaduct, designed by F. Stuart Williamson, was completed in 1901 and consisted of 26 steel-latticed arches rising {{Convert|80|ft||abbr=}} above ground level.{{harvnb|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|ps=.|p=83}}{{harvnb|Grimm|Schroeder|2007|ps=.|p=8}} By 1902, plans were made to extend the park's border north to 155th Street.{{harvnb|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|ps=.|pp=84–85}} Williamson also designed the park extension, which contained stone retaining walls as well as grand entrances designed.Park history {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211636weblink |date=March 3, 2016 }}, riversideparknyc.org. Retrieved August 26, 2014. The first extension of Riverside Park, from 125th/129th{{efn|name=harlem-streets}} to 137th Streets, was completed in 1902. The city acquired land northward to 158th Street in 1903, and with the completion of this park extension in 1908, Riverside Avenue was renamed Riverside Drive.{{harvnb|Cromley|1984|ps=.|p=244}}In 1906, there was an effort to expand Riverside Park by adding the piece of land bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, and 116th and 122nd Streets. This was seen as historically important because it was the site of Battle of Harlem Heights.NEWS,weblink To Enlarge Riverside Park; Neighboring Plot Be Added If Petitioners Prevail., January 21, 1906, The New York Times, August 21, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 21, 2019,weblink live, The city also envisioned 116th Street as a grand gateway to Grant's Tomb. Neither the park extension nor the 116th Street gateway were built, and today, the only remnants of this plan are the wide curves at the intersection of 116th Street and Riverside Drive, where the Colosseum and Paterno apartment buildings sit.NEWS,weblink Streetscapes/The Colosseum and the Paterno, 116th Street and Riverside Drive; At Curves in the Road, 2 Unusually Shaped Buildings, Gray, Christopher, August 15, 1999, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, The underwater area owned by the city was filled between 1911 and 1912 using rock from the excavation of the Catskill Aqueduct. The landfilling was criticized as it was done without public knowledge.NEWS,weblink Riverside Grab Secret 18 Months, September 24, 1917, Brooklyn Times-Union, August 22, 2019, 2, newspapers.com {{open access, }}NEWS,weblink Riverside Park Extension Assured; Controller Craig Reveals Estimate Board's Endorsement of His Project., March 8, 1925, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, One prominent group to form during this time was the Women's League for the Protection of Riverside Park, formed in 1916 to advocate recreational uses within the park. Many of the club's members were from prominent or wealthy families, and a sizable number of its early members lived close to Riverside Park.{{harvnb|ps=.|Buttenwieser|1999|pp=129–130}}

West Side Improvement

Initial plans

File:Riverside Park 01.jpg|thumb|Trains travel through the alt=A section of Riverside Park above the Freedom Tunnel, a train tunnelEven as there was discussion to expand Riverside Park, the New York Central Railroad continued to expand its facilities. This clashed with the ideals of the City Beautiful movement, which led an increasing segment of the population to view the railroad as a nuisance rather than a part of the park. Even so, the railroad was a crucial part to New York City's commerce, and as such could not be removed.{{harvnb|Cromley|1984|ps=.|p=245}} As early as 1909, there were plans to expand the West Side Line to six tracks within Riverside Park, though this was heavily opposed.NEWS,weblink Say Tracks Hurt Riverside Park; Residents of the Drive to Fight Open Cut for Central's Lines, March 31, 1907, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, The crux of the disagreement was a stipulation that would give New York Central the rights to develop the shorefront with commercial enterprises. The area between 59th and 72nd Streets was being planned for development into train yards, which citizens' groups strongly opposed,NEWS,weblink To Fight Against Invasion of Riverside Park; Manhattan Island's Only Big Waterfront Playground Is Jeopardized, Citizens' Organizations Assert, by the Plans of the New York Central Railroad for the Extension of Its Tracks and Freight Yards., March 23, 1913, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, and the city had no money to condemn that land.NEWS,weblink City Has No Money to Buy Waterfront; Controller Prendergast Tells Why N.Y. Central Property Cannot Be Condemned, February 18, 1917, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, Disputes over the railroad's role within the park continued for several years.NEWS,weblink Lease Of 25 Years In West Side Plan; Public Hearing on New York Central Improvement to be Held Oct. 18, October 7, 1917, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, At the time, there were other issues that beset the rail line; in particular, the street-level southern section of the line was known as Death Avenue due to the high level of collisions there.NEWS,weblink New York City Rail Crossings Carry a Deadly Past, Dunlap, David W., February 18, 2015, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, February 13, 2018,weblink live, In 1913 New York Central presented a proposal for the railroad to be grade-separated, including constructing a new tunnel within Riverside Park.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|ps=.|p=13}}{{harvnb|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|ps=.|p=87}} This plan was received favorably by the citizens' groups. By 1917, there was a tentative agreement to enact that proposal. Another initiative that aided the redevelopment of Riverside Park was the closure of one of the garbage dumps in 1923. Despite a citywide growth in realty values in the 1910s and 1920s, such benefits did not translate to the area nearest Riverside Park, and in the section between 69th and 89th Streets, real estate values actually declined slightly. As such, a plan to improve Riverside Park was much anticipated by the local community.{{harvnb|Buttenwieser|1999|ps=.|p=139}}File:Evening at Riverside Park by Alice Neel, 1927.jpg|thumb|1927 painting depicting Evening at Riverside Park by American expressionist artist Alice NeelAlice NeelThe railroad grade-separation proposal remained stalled until the passage of the Kaufman Act in 1924, which forced the electrification of all railroads in the city.{{harvnb|ps=.|Buttenwieser|1999|p=138}} The same year, comptroller Charles L. Craig put forth a plan to create a waterfront parkway in Riverside Drive to alleviate vehicular traffic.NEWS,weblink Craig Offers Plan for Improvement of Riverside Park, February 3, 1924, Brooklyn Times-Union, August 23, 2019, 6, newspapers.com {{open access, }} The "Craig Plan", the first of four unsuccessful blueprints for the park's reconstruction that were proposed in the 1920s, also called for the inclusion of athletic facilities, a feature that would eventually be included in the park's reconstruction. The proposal included plans for expanding Riverside Park, such as a freshwater swimming pool between 72nd and 75th Streets; a play field from 75th to 77th Streets; and a recreation building with a new boathouse between 77th and 81st Streets. The plans included land reclamation using excavation from the New York City Subway's Eighth Avenue subway line, which created up to {{Convert|70|acre||abbr=}} of new parkland.NEWS,weblink Plan Adds 70 Acres to Riverside Park, July 18, 1927, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 23, 2019, 7, Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access, }} Planners thought that the railroad tunnel's utility could be increased as well. While some suggested building the parkway atop the tunnel, others proposed converting the top of the tunnel into parkland and building a waterfront parkway instead.Disputes about the tunnel roof and parkway delayed the approval of a Riverside Park plan for several years, by which point increasing pollution made the park nearly unusable. The Women's League endorsed a proposal for converting Riverside Drive's bridle trail to a children's playground,NEWS,weblink Wants Playground On Riverside Drive; Women's League Endorses Move to Utilize Bridle Path for the Children, May 26, 1925, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, though they opposed the scenic parkway in Riverside Park.NEWS,weblink Women Fight Plan For Park Speedway; Riverside, North of 111th Street, Is Needed for Recreation, League Tells Miller, February 28, 1926, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, Other organizations also opposed building the parkway in Riverside Park; for instance, the City Club endorsed building the parkway on the waterfront instead, in order to give more space to recreational uses.NEWS,weblink Speedway Opposed In Centre Of Park; City Club Again Urges Plan for Elevated Road at the Water's Edge in Riverside., May 29, 1929, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, The waterfront parkway proposal was supported only by a minority of architects and organizations, and was voted down by the Board of Estimate.{{harvnb|Buttenwieser|1999|ps=.|pp=145–146}} In June 1929, the city voted to approve a plan that would build the parkway above the tracks, but not on the waterfront.NEWS,weblink PPass Riverside Plan; Highway Over Track; Estimate Board Ends Six Week Controversy by Adopting the Majority Report, June 14, 1929, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live,

Execution

(File:Riverside_Park_Overlook_and_Promenade_over_railroad_at_West_116th_Street_from_Greenway,_looking_southeast._Note_Cobra_light_on_left,_Riverside_Park_lampposts_in_front_of_arcades._-_HAER_NY-334-26.tif|thumb|A portion of the railroad tunnel, seen from the Henry Hudson Parkway at 116th Street; greyscale photograph by Renee Bieretz, 2012)The architecture firm McKim, Mead & White was hired to create plans for the parkway and the grade-separated railroad tunnel (later known as the Freedom Tunnel). In order to meet the requirements of the project, the firm proposed erecting a City Beautiful-style retaining wall with arches, similar to that of a Roman aqueduct, that seemed to support the highway above it.{{harvnb|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|ps=.|p=88}}NEWS,weblink Park-Highway Plan for Drive Is Drawn; Riverside Park Plaza Planned as Line to Express Highway., April 10, 1931, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, {{harvnb|Cromley|1984|ps=.|p=246}} The retaining wall would include parapets and Neoclassical detailing, as well as {{Convert|50|ft|m|abbr=|adj=on}} arches to ventilate the railroad tracks behind the wall.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|ps=.|p=14}} The road would have contained classical flagpoles and lampposts, viewing areas, and resting areas for pedestrians. The plans also called for the reconstruction of the 86th Street marina and the construction of parking lots, playgrounds, and tennis courts.Work between 72nd and 79th Streets was underway when parks commissioner Robert Moses was appointed in 1934. Moses halted McKim, Mead & White's plan,{{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=10}} deriding it as a "visionary scheme," since he thought the highway's construction would make the new parkland inaccessible and contain too many pedestrian tunnels. Furthermore, Moses believed that his alternate plan would be completed more quickly and cheaply. Moses's biographer Robert Caro described Moses surveying the area prior to his project, and seeing:a wasteland six miles (10 km) long, stretching from where he stood all the way north to 181st street ... The 'park' was nothing but a vast low-lying mass of dirt and mud.... Unpainted, rusting, jagged wire fences along the tracks barred the city from its waterfront ... The engines that pulled trains along the tracks burned coal or oil; from their smokestacks a dense black smog rose toward the apartment houses, coating windowsills with grit ... [a stench] seemed to hang over Riverside Drive endlessly after each passage of a train carrying south to the slaughterhouses in downtown Manhattan carload after carload of cattle and pigs.... [Once, Frances Perkins ] heard Moses exclaim, "Isn't this a temptation to you? Couldn't this waterfront be the most beautiful thing in the world?"POWER BROKER, 65–67, Moses's updated "West Side Improvement" plan, designed by Gilmore D. Clarke, Michael Rapuano, and Clinton Loyd, retained the railroad tunnel under the park, but moved the parkway to the shorefront instead; this would become the Henry Hudson Parkway.{{harvnb|Buttenwieser|1999|ps=.|p=147}} As part of the project, the parkway was to connect with the West Side Elevated Highway at the south end of Riverside Park,NEWS,weblink Transforming The West Side: A Huge Project Marches On; New Legislation Speeds the Work of Removing 'Death Avenue' From the Map and of Creating a Greater Riverside Park, Robbins, L. h, June 3, 1934, The New York Times, August 23, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 23, 2019,weblink live, while the railroad would connect to the High Line viaduct even further south.NEWS,weblink Mayor Dedicates West Side Project; ' Death to Death Av.' Is Toast to Terminal and Vast System of Tracks on West Side., June 29, 1934, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, The parkway was to be built on newly filled land along the shore, requiring the extension of the shoreline by {{Convert|50|ft||abbr=}} and the dumping of {{Convert|1|e6yd3||abbr=}} of fill.NEWS,weblink Widening Begins Of Riverside Park; 500 Truckloads of Fill a Day Being Dumped Between 72d and 129th Streets., February 28, 1935, The New York Times, August 23, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 23, 2019,weblink live, This resulted in a more contiguous park area, since the roof of the tunnel would then be occupied by parkland.{{harvnb|Cromley|1984|ps=.|p=247}} Moses's plan was also more actively focused toward recreation: his plan called for playgrounds, tennis courts, wading and swimming pools, an amphitheater, and docks at 79th and 96th Streets. The roof of the railroad tunnel would host several of these recreation fields, while other parts of the tunnel's roof would be used by a promenade. The cost as submitted to the New York City Board of Estimate was $11 million (equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US|value=11|start_year=1936|fmt=c}} million in {{inflation/year|US}}), of which $6 million would go toward the railroad tunnel alone (equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US|value=6|start_year=1936|fmt=c}} million in {{inflation/year|US}}).NEWS,weblink Work Speeded On City's Riverside Park; New Auto Roads, Promenades and Playgrounds Are Included in Plans Which Will Change the Aspect of the West Side Waterfront, January 19, 1936, The New York Times, August 23, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 24, 2019,weblink live, By mid-1934, Moses was ready to employ about 4,000 workers through the Works Progress Administration.NEWS,weblink West Side Project Ready to Hire 4,000; Signing of Buckley Bill Will Permit Immediate Starting of Work, Moses Announces, May 28, 1934, The New York Times, August 23, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 24, 2019,weblink live, Filling operations were underway by early 1935, requiring the dumping of {{Convert|4,000|yd3||abbr=}} of dirt per day. The parkway in Riverside Park was approved in June 1935,NEWS,weblink West Side Plans Proceed On A New Basis; A Greater Riverside Park Is Combined With a Motor Artery for the City, Brock, H. i, June 23, 1935, The New York Times, August 23, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 23, 2019,weblink live, and was completed in 1937.NEWS,weblink West Side Highway to Open; Huge $24,000,000 Project Gives City a Fast Traffic Outlet to North and Provides 210 Acres of Parks and Play Areas, Bernstein, Victor H., October 10, 1937, The New York Times, August 23, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 24, 2019,weblink live, In addition, plans for a new boat basin at 149th Street were announced in 1939.NEWS,weblink Boat Basin Planned on the Hudson River; Park Project at 149th Street Will Cost $200,000, April 28, 1939, The New York Times, August 23, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 23, 2019,weblink live, The West Side Improvement project was completed by 1941.NEWS,weblink ' Death Ave.' Ends as Last Rusty Rail Goes; Huge West Side Improvement Completed, June 26, 1941, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 22, 2019,weblink live, The project was twice as big as the Hoover Dam's construction. In total, the project plan added {{convert|132|acre|0}} to the park. Ultimately eight full playgrounds were built, as well as baseball fields and tennis, handball, and basketball courts. Having achieved its goal of rebuilding Riverside Park, the Women's League disbanded in 1937.{{harvnb|Buttenwieser|1999|ps=.|pp=148–150}}

Decline

(File:Riverside_Park_walkway.jpg|thumb|Walkway near 108th Street)For several decades after the completion of the Moses-era improvements, few changes were made to the park: a memorial grove was added in 1946;NEWS,weblink Memorial Grove Presented To City; 34 Elms in Riverside Park Honor America's Defenders in Wars From 1776, October 21, 1946, The New York Times, August 24, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 24, 2019,weblink live, a playground at 76th Street was added in 1952;NEWS,weblink New Playground Opened; Riverside Unit Has a Variety of Equipment for All Ages, June 25, 1952, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, and the 103rd Street playground was restored in 1960.NEWS,weblink Shouts of Children Echo Again In Revived Uptown Playground; Once-Deserted Area in Riverside Park Gets a Clean-Up and Police Guard in City-Neighborhood Effort, Harrison, Emma, August 8, 1960, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, A monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, first proposed in 1947, was never realized due a lack of funding and opposition from city officials. Riverside Park had its own New York City Police Department precinct (the 26th Precinct), but this was abolished in 1954.NEWS,weblink 26th Precinct to Close; 4 Others to Divide Riverside Park's After Tomorrow, April 27, 1954, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, By 1962, a new children's playground was proposed between 102nd and 106th Streets, to be dedicated to the philanthropist Adele Rosenwald Levy. The architect Louis Kahn and the artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi prepared plans for a $1 million facility to include among other things, a community center, an amphitheater, and play structures.NEWS,weblink Play Area to Fit Contour of Park; Riverside Complex Planned, With Imaginative Design and Variety of Features, Kaplan, Samuel, October 24, 1962, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, The plan proved to be controversial: advocates claimed the playground would create additional recreational space, while opponents argued that the playground would be excessively expensive and serve essentially as a memorial to a private figure.NEWS,weblink Battle Is Intensified Over Plan To Redevelop Riverside Park; Accusations Exchanged Participation Invited, Asbury, Edith Evans, October 5, 1963, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, Despite having redesigned the playground five times, and having the support of Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr., the designers met with much resistance.NEWS,weblink City is Enjoined on a Playground; Supreme Court Forbids Use of Riverside Park Site for $1.19-Million Project, E.tomasson, Robert, April 28, 1966, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, In 1963, opponents filed suit to prevent construction of the project,NEWS,weblink Suit Seeks to Bar Uptown Play Site; Interest Conflict Charged to Mayor in Riverside Plan, June 11, 1963, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, and in 1966, the project was cancelled by the new administration of Mayor John Lindsay.Ultimately during the 1960s, a playground and a comfort station were added at 76th Street, another comfort station was added at 91st Street, and tennis courts were built between 97th and 119th Streets. Otherwise, the park was neglected, and vandalism and dumping were common.{{harvnb|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|ps=.|pp=96–97}} In 1970 a writer for The New York Times observed that the northern part of the park, in western Harlem, was in worse condition than the original park near the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights.NEWS,weblink Riverside Park Is as Diverse as the People Who Use It, Kaufman, Michael T., August 31, 1970, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, Around this time, several shafts were installed in Riverside Park as part of a project to reduce sewage outflows into the Hudson River, which forced the temporary closure of part of the park.NEWS,weblink Residents Score Park Sewer Work, Clark, Alfred E., March 5, 1970, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, In 1971, officials proposed converting the West Side Elevated Highway and Henry Hudson Parkway into Westway, a six-lane interstate highway connecting the George Washington Bridge and the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, which would have resulted in the condemnation of portions of Riverside Park.NEWS,weblink Legislators Here Oppose Plan for 2 City Highways, Farrell, William E., May 16, 1971, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, March 20, 2018,weblink live, The construction of Westway within Riverside Park was ultimately deemed infeasible due to a state law that prohibited the Henry Hudson Parkway's conversion into an interstate highway.BOOK,weblink West Side Hwy Project, New York: Environmental Impact Statement, New York State Department of Transportation; Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation, 1977, 10, en, March 19, 2018, The Westway plan was abandoned altogether by 1984.WEB,weblink Why Westway sleeps with the fishes, Amateau, Albert, June 16, 2004, The Villager (Manhattan), thevillager.com, The Villager (Manhattan), The Villager,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160304122348weblink">weblink March 4, 2016, live, June 2, 2015,

Late 20th century

Restoration

By 1979, NYC Parks was restoring retaining walls and making plans to rehabilitate several playgrounds. The failed Westway proposal had inspired a movement to make Riverside Park a designated city landmark, so as to preclude future construction that might take away parkland. Advocates petitioned the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to make the park an official city landmark.NEWS,weblink Ask landmark OK for Riverside Park, Medina, David, December 2, 1979, New York Daily News, August 28, 2019, 279, newspapers.com {{open access, }} They met with success; Riverside Park was designated as a New York City scenic landmark in 1980 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1983.The Friends of Riverside Park organization was formed in March 1979, initially working to plant new trees and stop deterioration of existing trees.NEWS,weblink They plant for love of ivy and a park, Howell, Ron, September 14, 1980, New York Daily News, August 28, 2019, 52, newspapers.com {{open access, }} Their projects included the conservation of 500 endangered Dutch elm trees in Riverside Park.NEWS,weblink Vols give green thumbs a hand, Lewis, John, April 5, 1981, New York Daily News, August 28, 2019, 456, newspapers.com {{open access, }} The organization soon turned toward preservation-oriented initiatives, successfully working to stop July 4 fireworks shows in the park and plans for a restaurant at the 79th Street Boat Basin.NEWS,weblink In Riverside Park, a Garden of Controversy, Montgomery, Paul L., August 9, 1982, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Westside Panel Vetoes Riverside Park Restaurant, Carmody, Deirdre, April 8, 1982, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, The city indicated in 1983 that it planned to refurbish parts of the park, especially the section between 97th and 110th Streets, at a cost of $910,000.NEWS,weblink Bringing Back the Grandeur of Riverside Park, Carmody, Deirdre, September 22, 1983, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, The park's partial renovation was completed in 1984. However, Riverside Park was still in a dilapidated state because of funding shortfalls: it lacked any full-time security, park rangers, or recreation workers, and had a staff of 40 workers for the entire park. Throughout the late 20th century, homeless people and drug users would congregate in the park.NEWS,weblink Civic Pride and Volunteerism Bring Allure Back to Riverside Park, Whitt, Toni, May 18, 2006, The New York Times, August 29, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 29, 2019,weblink live, By the 1990s, there were estimated to be between 75 and 325 homeless people living within Riverside Park, including the Freedom Tunnel.NEWS,weblink Neighborhood Report: Upper West Side; The Homeless And Dauntless Dig In, Berstein, Emily M., January 16, 1994, The New York Times, August 29, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 29, 2019,weblink live, In 1987, fourteen area cooperatives combined to create the Riverside Park Fund to raise money for maintenance.NEWS,weblink An Oasis Turning to Seed, Riverside Park Wins Friends, Anderson, Susan Heller, October 2, 1987, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, The Fund also sponsored a proposal for a continuous $3 million path that would run the length of the park to the George Washington Bridge,NEWS,weblink Riverside Park Journal; A Path Where the City Bumps Against Nature, Tierney, John, March 21, 1991, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, though this path would be delayed through the mid-1990s.NEWS,weblink Neighborhood Report: Waterfront; Blazing a Path Alongside The Hudson, Allon, Janet, April 28, 1996, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, Starting in 1992, NYC Parks restored the retaining wall within Riverside Park between 98th and 120th Streets.NEWS,weblink POSTINGS: Riverside Drive's Wall; Restoring by the Numbers, March 8, 1992, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, By 1994, the Riverside Park Fund was conducting various projects including landscaping, the installation of new playgrounds, and the restoration of existing facilities.NEWS,weblink Neighborhood Report: Progress Report; Riverside Park Changes, Kennedy, Randy, April 10, 1994, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, A dog run was proposed for the Morningside Heights section of the park in 1998, but was canceled after opposition.NEWS,weblink Neighborhood Report: Upper West Side – Update; Dogs Won't Have Their Day at the Track, Kilgannon, Corey, October 24, 1999, The New York Times, August 29, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 29, 2019,weblink live, The North River Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed between 137th and 144th Streets, alongside Riverside Park's northern section, during the late 1980s.NEWS,weblink 28 Acres of Roof and a Place to Play in West Harlem; Riverbank State Park Is Under Construction Atop North River Sewage Treatment Plant, Holloway, Lynette, September 1, 1992, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, The {{Convert|28|acre||abbr=|adj=on}} Riverbank State Park was built atop the plant, opening in 1993.NEWS,weblink On Sunday; Up on the Roof, Harlem Gains Acres of Beauty, Winerip, Michael, May 23, 1993, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, Ten Mile River Playground was renovated in 1995 for $450,000.

Riverside Park South

File:Riverside Park looking south (01585).jpg|thumb|The Riverside South development funded this extension of Riverside Park. New Waterline SquareWaterline SquareIn the 1980s Donald Trump, then the owner of the {{convert|57|acre|m2}} of land just south of Riverside Park that had been the Penn Central freight rail yard, proposed building a massive development including a huge shopping mall and the world's tallest skyscraper.NEWS,weblink NBC Will Not Move to Television City, Lueck, Thomas J., October 31, 1987, The New York Times, August 26, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 26, 2018,weblink live, Facing great opposition and hobbled by his weak financial position, Trump agreed in 1990 to adopt a new plan for the site put forward by six civic groups. The new plan, called Riverside South, included much smaller buildings centered around a new Riverside Park South, stretching between 72nd and 59th Streets with a similar design to the original Riverside Park. In order to expand Riverside Park by {{convert|25|acre|m2}}, Trump's proposed shopping mall would be eliminated and the elevated West Side Highway would be relocated eastward to grade and buried.NEWS,weblink Trump Revises Project Plan For West Side, Purdum, Todd S., March 6, 1991, The New York Times, August 22, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, January 23, 2021,weblink live, A new Riverside Boulevard would curve above the relocated highway, with the park sloping down toward the river. Portions of the former rail yard, such as the New York Central Railroad 69th Street Transfer Bridge, would be incorporated into the new park. As part of the project, Trump and the city agreed to build a new bicycle path connecting Riverside Park with Hudson River Park immediately to the south.NEWS,weblink Neighborhood Report: Upper West Side; Dealing and Wheeling: City to Build Interim Bike Path Along the Hudson, Kilgannon, Corey, January 16, 2000, The New York Times, August 29, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 29, 2019,weblink live, {{external media| width = 325px| float = right| image1 = weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170214203430weblink">Trump City| image2 = weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170214201905weblink">The Civic Alternative| image3 = weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170214204432weblink">Riverside South, as proposed| image4 = Riverside Park South with and without relocated highway.| image5 = Riverside Park South Interim Plan.| image6 = Riverside Park South Final Plan.}}In November 1998, the first phase of the new Riverside Park South started, having been designed by Thomas Balsley & Associates. Phase 1, a {{convert|7|acre|0|abbr=|adj=on}} section from 72nd to 68th Streets, was opened just over two years later in January 2001."Riverside Park South Phasing" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813034415weblink |date=August 13, 2019 }} Thomas Balsley Associates Pier I at 70th Street, part of the railyard, was rebuilt; it maintains its original length of {{convert|795|ft|m}}, but is narrower than originally, at {{convert|55|ft|m}}.NEWS,weblink Neighbors Greet New Pier With Grudging Accolades, Saulny, Susan, January 15, 2001, The New York Times, August 29, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 29, 2019,weblink live, Phase 2, opened in 2003, comprises a waterfront section from 70th Street to 65th Street, including two plazas at 66th and 68th Streets and a jagged waterfront.NEWS,weblink New Park On Hudson Fills Gap In Greenery, Healy, Patrick, June 12, 2003, The New York Times, August 29, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 29, 2019,weblink live, Phase 3, opened in August 2006, stretches from 65th Street to 62nd Street on the waterfront. Phase 4 opened in 2007 along the waterfront from 62nd to 57th Streets.WEB,weblink Another Phase of Riverside Park South Opens, Chan, Sewell, August 19, 2008, City Room, en-US, August 29, 2019, August 29, 2019,weblink live, The design of Phases 5 and 6, located between the current and future highway alignments, is partially tied to the fate of the highway relocation, the timing of which is still uncertain.WEB, Barron, James, The Surprise in This Box? A Highway, Some Assembly Required, The New York Times, June 23, 2006,weblink August 26, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, November 21, 2020,weblink live, However, NYC Parks has approved interim and final designs for those two sections; construction of the interim park started in August 2016.WEB,weblink Riverside Park South Playground, Bikeway, and Plazas Construction : NYC Parks, www.nycgovparks.org, August 20, 2019, October 25, 2020,weblink live, Relocating the highway will require some reconstruction of the park.WEB,weblink, Riverside Park South Open Space Masterplan, SWA/Balsley, en-US, August 23, 2019, September 22, 2020, https:web.archive.org/web/20200922045103weblink live,

21st century

By the Fund's 20th anniversary, much of the park south of 125th Street had been restored, and Upper West Side and Morningside Heights residents had become invested in the park's well-being. The northern section, above 125th Street, still remained deteriorated, with poorly maintained ballfields and a lack of access from nearby neighborhoods. This was attributed to the economic conditions in the neighborhoods adjoining each section: while the Upper West Side was generally wealthy, Harlem was mostly lower-class.NEWS,weblink North and South Don't Share the Same View on Conditions at One Manhattan Park, Williams, Timothy, October 22, 2006, The New York Times, August 29, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 29, 2019,weblink live, In 2015, after a quarter-century of planning, construction started on a new pedestrian bridge connecting Hamilton Heights to Riverside Park at 151st Street, replacing a tunnel and a long staircase.NEWS,weblink Bridge to Connect Upper Manhattan to Nearby, Yet Remote, Riverside Park, Foderaro, Lisa W., September 14, 2015, The New York Times, August 29, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 29, 2019,weblink live, After some delays,WEB,weblink Hamilton Heights Bike, Pedestrian Bridge Delayed, June 17, 2016, en-US, August 29, 2019, August 29, 2019,weblink live, the bridge opened in 2017.WEB,weblink Hamilton Heights Pedestrian Bridge Open At Last After Hardships, September 8, 2017, en-US, August 29, 2019, August 29, 2019,weblink live, Also in 2017, NYC Parks released a master plan for Riverside Park. The plan called for the restoration of the rotunda, Soldiers & Sailors Monument, Cherry Walk, and pedestrian walkways; expansion of the marina; construction of new bicycle paths and a new 111th Street entrance; and construction of new play areas in Morningside Heights and at the north waterfront.{{harvnb|ps=.|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|pp=17–20}} A bicycle bypass was proposed in 2016 to reduce frequent congestion and collisions between pedestrians and bicyclists in the park.WEB,weblink New Riverside Park Cycling Route Proposed by City to Ease Congestion, Frost, Emily, October 19, 2016, DNAinfo New York, August 29, 2019, August 29, 2019,weblink dead, The first section opened in 2019.WEB,weblink Detour Separates Cyclists From Pedestrians In Riverside Park, Krisel, Brendan, June 24, 2019, Upper West Side, NY Patch, August 29, 2019, August 29, 2019,weblink live, Riverside Park continued to suffer from various problems such as faulty drainage systems and deterioration.{{harvnb|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|ps=.|pp=40–51}} In 2019, The New York Times observed that following every rainstorm, water tended to pool on the roof of the Freedom Tunnel and other locations due to the three-tiered topography of the park, and that the tunnel's retaining wall was leaking.NEWS,weblink Flooding in Riverside Park: Good for Ducks. Bad for Amtrak Trains Below?, Otterman, Sharon, July 21, 2019, The New York Times, August 28, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 28, 2019,weblink live, In addition, there was visible decay in some of the structures within Riverside Park, such as the 79th Street Rotunda, retaining walls, and various pathways. Other issues included the poor design of Riverside Drive's curbs and the dilapidated condition of the park's trees. The city government announced in December 2019 that it would spend $11.5 million to fix the park's drainage systems.WEB, Krisel, Brendan, December 5, 2019, City Commits $11.5M To Fix Riverside Park Drainage Systems,weblink July 21, 2023, Upper West Side, NY Patch, WEB, Spivack, Caroline, December 6, 2019, NYC will finally fix Riverside Park's persistent flooding problems,weblink July 21, 2023, Curbed NY, Nonetheless, parts of the park remained in poor condition in the early 2020s, with inadequate lighting and bad pavement.WEB, Davidson, Justin, May 12, 2021, Riverside Park Is Falling Apart,weblink July 21, 2023, Curbed, A $7.4 million renovation of Ten Mile River Playground was announced in late 2023; during the project's planning, a set of dark monkey statues in the playground were removed.NEWS, Fahy, Claire, 2023-11-18, Robert Moses Put Monkeys in a Park in Harlem. They're Finally Gone., en-US, The New York Times,weblink 2023-11-18, 0362-4331,

Geography and design

(File:Detail of staircase and arch of Riverside Park Promenade over railroad at West 102nd Street, looking northeast. - Henry Hudson Parkway, Extending 11.2 miles from West 72nd Street to HAER NY-334-24.tif|thumb|Staircase from the promenade above the Freedom Tunnel to the parkland beside the tunnel)Riverside Park is classified by the Parks Department as a community park covering {{convert|253.17|acre}}.WEB, Riverside Park, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation,weblink April 10, 2020, March 25, 2018,weblink live, The primary section of Riverside Park is the tiered slopes between the Henry Hudson Parkway and Riverside Drive from 72nd Street to 125th Street, designated as both an official New York City landmark and a NRHP site. This section ranges from {{Convert|100|to|500|ft|abbr=}} wide.{{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=2}} The eastern border of the park is generally Riverside Drive, a curving avenue with a maximum grade of 1 in 27. Various apartment buildings and religious/educational institutions on Riverside Drive overlook the park.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|ps=.|p=6}} The Henry Hudson Parkway, on the park's western border, contains numerous interchanges that are included as part of the official landmark designation.{{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=4}}The 1930s rebuild was designed by architect Michael Rapuano, a Rome Prize Fellow, who placed London plane trees and Robinia trees atop the Freedom Tunnel. At 74th and 97th Streets, curving stone staircases led from the top of the tunnel to the playgrounds below. During the renovation, much of the original topography was modified in order to conceal the tunnel, and large clusters of trees were installed elsewhere in the park.{{harvnb|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|2017|ps=.|pp=91–95}} Most of the initial plantings were removed by the 1980s.There is also a northern section of the park from 135th Street to 155th Street and adjacent to Riverbank State Park. This area is designed more simply than the rest of the park, as the Henry Hudson Parkway is elevated in the area, and much of the space is occupied by parking lots. It is not protected by either the Landmarks Preservation Commission or the NRHP.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|ps=.|p=2}}

Geographical features

Sources vary on how many tiers are included in Riverside Park.NEWS,weblink Postings: Riverside in Detail; Long Map for a Long Park, Radomsky, Rosalie R., August 4, 2002, The New York Times, August 20, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 20, 2019,weblink live, James T. Dowell of the Riverside Park Fund states that there are three tiers: Riverside Drive on top, the promenade above the Freedom Tunnel below, and the parkland beside the Henry Hudson Parkway and waterfront esplanade at the bottom. The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, as well as the National Park Service's NRHP report for the park, say that there are four "registers": three are similar to those cited by Dowell, while the fourth "register" is the sloping area that connects Riverside Drive and the roof of the Freedom Tunnel. Each of the "registers" serves a specific purpose. The uppermos, which includes Riverside Drive, serves as the border to the park. The central sections, comprising both the sloping region and the plateau above the Freedom Tunnel, contain most of the greenery as well as playgrounds and other recreational facilities. The lowermost register, next to Henry Hudson Parkway, provides a waterfront promenade with views of the Hudson River, as well as the Palisades on the opposite bank.Before the park existed, poet Edgar Allan Poe was said to have enjoyed sitting on rocky "Mount Tom" at 83rd Street.BOOK, Quinn, Arthur, Edgar Allan Poe : a critical biography, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1998, 978-0-8018-5730-0, 37300554, xiv,weblink The rock outcropping still exists and is the only such formation at Riverside Park with a name.

Paths

(File:Ramp from Riverside Park to W 68th St.jpg|thumb|Ramp in Riverside Park looking up to W 68th Street)The park's central "registers" contain various curving pathways amid the greenery. These paths are connected to Riverside Drive and the waterfront level via staircases and ramps.Riverside Walk, a waterfront walkway, runs the entire length of the park between 72nd and 158th Streets.WEB,weblink Cherry Walk, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 29, 2019, August 29, 2019,weblink live, This walkway includes Cherry Walk, a path between 100th and 125th Streets, which is named for the cherry trees beside it. The grouping of 700 cherry trees was donated in 1909 by the Committee of Japanese Residents.WEB,weblink Celebrate springtime cherry blossoms at these spots, am New York, March 21, 2017, en, August 29, 2019, October 3, 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink 10 best places to see cherry blossoms in NYC, Plitt, Amy, April 10, 2019, Curbed NY, August 29, 2019, November 7, 2019,weblink live, Riverside Park contains a bicycle lane that runs for most of the park's length, except for a small gap in West Harlem.WEB,weblink NYC DOT – Bicycle Maps, 2019, Government of New York City, nyc.gov, New York City Department of Transportation, May 14, 2019, May 14, 2019,weblink live, However, there are multiple locations where the bicycle lane intersects with the pedestrian paths, causing congestion. As such, a bicycle bypass is being built within several sections of Riverside Park.

Extensions and connections

Riverside Park South extends from 72nd to 59th Street on the former Penn Central yard, with an old locomotive on display. Riverside Park South leads to Hudson River Park which leads to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan. With the addition of Riverside Park South and Hudson River Park, a continuous waterfront right-of-way for pedestrians and bicyclists now stretches nearly the length of Manhattan from north to south.Paths along the river connect the park to Fort Washington Park to the north. The portion of Fort Washington Park from 181st Street to Dyckman Street includes Inspiration Point, a shelter at 190th Street.WEB, Fort Washington Park Highlights, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation,weblink August 29, 2019, August 29, 2019,weblink live,

Wildlife

File:Red-tailed-hawk-nyc-oct-2010.jpg|thumb|right|Red-tailed hawkRed-tailed hawkA bird sanctuary exists in Riverside Park between 116th to 124th Streets.WEB,weblink Riverside Park Bird Sanctuary {{!, |website=riversideparknyc.org|access-date=August 30, 2019|archive-date=September 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917230201weblink|url-status=live}}WEB,weblink Best bird-watching spots in New York City, Spivack, Caroline, April 15, 2019, Curbed NY, August 30, 2019, August 30, 2019,weblink live, New York City Audubon estimates that birdwatchers have seen more than 177 bird species at the sanctuary since the 1980s. About {{Convert|10|acre||abbr=}} has been reforested and over 3,000 individual plants have been placed in the sanctuary since 1997.WEB,weblink Riverside Park, www.nycaudubon.org, August 30, 2019, August 30, 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190830001350weblink">weblink live, More than 80 bird species have been seen at the Bird Drip, a man-made water feature near 120th Street.WEB,weblink The Top 10 Secrets of Riverside Park in NYC, July 7, 2016, Untapped Cities, en-US, August 30, 2019, August 30, 2019,weblink live, Riverside Park contains numerous other species of wildlife. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation states that park visitors can see waterfowl such as Canada geese, mallards, and American black ducks; raptors, such as red-tailed hawks, American kestrels and peregrine falcons; songbirds; raccoons; and reptiles.WEB,weblink Riverside Park, www.dec.ny.gov, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 2020-04-10, August 30, 2019,weblink live, In addition, a wild turkey named Giuliani was first spotted at Riverside Park in 2003, and several other wild turkeys have since been observed at the park.NEWS, Healy, Patrick,weblink Upper West Side Journal; Hands Off That Bird, and Don't Mention Cranberries, 2003-11-24, The New York Times, 2020-04-10, en-US, 0362-4331, April 10, 2020,weblink live, WEB,weblink Gobble Gobble at Riverside Park, Chung, Jen, November 29, 2003, Gothamist, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081122092444weblink">weblink November 22, 2008, August 26, 2014,

Landmarks and structures

Monuments and statues

Riverside Park includes numerous monuments and statues.WEB,weblink Riverside Park, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, January 26, 2017, February 2, 2017,weblink live,

Amiable Child Monument

The Amiable Child Monument, at Riverside Drive north of 122nd Street, on the slope north of Grant's Tomb,{{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=5}} commemorates the long-ago death of a beloved child, a small boy who died in what was then an area of country homes near New York City. One side of the monument reads: "Erected to the Memory of an Amiable Child, St. Claire Pollock, Died 15 July 1797 in the Fifth Year of His Age."WEB,weblink Amiable Child Monument, Riverside Park Fund,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100619122411weblink">weblink June 19, 2010, dead, February 1, 2010, The monument is composed of a granite urn on a granite pedestal inside a wrought iron fence. Originally erected by George Pollock, who was either the boy's father or his uncle, the monument has been replaced twice due to deterioration. It is thought to be the only private, single-person grave on city-owned land in New York City.WEB,weblink Amiable Child Memorial, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,

Eleanor Roosevelt Monument

{{multiple image|align=right|direction=horizontal|total_width=300|image1=Eleanor_Roosevelt_Monument_-_2017-12-02_-_Statue_view_from_North.jpg|caption1=Eleanor Roosevelt Monument|image2=Firemen's Memorial (Manhattan) 2014 jeh.jpg|caption2=Firemen's Memorial}}The Eleanor Roosevelt Monument is located at 72nd Street and was dedicated in 1996. The landscape architects Bruce Kelly and David Varnell designed the planted, circular monument. The artist Penelope Jencks sculpted the larger-than-life statue of Eleanor Roosevelt, the boulder on which it leans, and the foot-stone on which it rests. The architect Michael Dwyer designed inscriptions in the surrounding granite pavement, including a quotation from Roosevelt's 1958 speech at the United Nations advocating universal human rights, and a bronze tablet, located in the planting bed, summarizing her achievements.Jean Parker Phifer, Public Art New York (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 2009).WEB,weblink Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,

Firemen's Memorial

The Firemen's Memorial, located on the west side of Riverside Drive opposite West 100th Street, was dedicated in 1913. The architect Harold Van Buren Magonigle designed the monument as a sarcophagus in Tennessee marble, with a dedicatory inscription on the east side. The artist Attilio Piccirilli embellished it with allegorical figures on the north and south sides, and a bas-relief bronze plaque on the west side. Approached from the west by a grand staircase, the monument sits on a terrace surrounded by a classical balustrade.WEB,weblink Firemen's Memorial, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live, A tablet, dedicated to the horses who assisted the firemen with their duties, was embedded in the monument's terrace paving in 1927.WEB,weblink Firemen's Memorial Tablet Horses, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,

General Franz Sigel statue

(File:General Franz Sigel statue.jpg|thumb|General Franz Sigel memorial)The General Franz Sigel memorial, at 106th Street, was designed by the architect William W. Bosworth and dedicated in October 1907. Karl Bitter sculpted the centerpiece, an equestrian statue of Sigel, who attained the rank of general in the Union Army during the Civil War. The larger-than-life bronze figure is located atop a stone pedestal at the top of a staircase. The figure formerly had a sword, but it was removed in 1941. NYC Parks restored the statue in the late 1980s.WEB,weblink General Franz Sigel, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,

Grant's Tomb

(File:USA grants tomb.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Grant's Tomb, dedicated 1897)The design of Grant's Tomb, located in the median of Riverside Drive at 122nd Street, is loosely based on the design of the ancient Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. The memorial was dedicated in 1897. The architect John Hemenway Duncan designed the building as a cube with blind colonnades on the east, west, and north sides, and a portico of Doric columns leading to the entrance door on the south side. Atop the cube, he placed a cylindrical dome embellished with Ionic columns, topped with a conical cap. Inside, the principal room is a crypt with sarcophagi containing the remains of President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia Dent Grant.{{Rp|1}} The National Park Service has maintained the tomb since 1958 as the General Grant National Memorial.NEWS,weblink U.S. Takes Over Grant's Tomb, August 16, 1958, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, Grant's Tomb is both a New York City landmark and a national monument.WEB,weblink General Grant National Memorial, November 25, 1975, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, June 25, 2016, August 21, 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190821021348weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink General Grant National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service), June 27, 2019, NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service), August 21, 2019, August 3, 2019,weblink live,

Joan of Arc memorial

The Joan of Arc memorial, located at 93rd Street, was designed by the architect John V. Van Pelt and dedicated in 1915. The artist Anna Hyatt Huntington sculpted the statue, which depicts Joan of Arc on horseback in bronze. The statue was restored in 1939 and 1987.WEB,weblink Joan of Arc Memorial, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,

Louis Kossuth monument

The monument in honor of Hungarian leader Lajos (Louis) Kossuth is located at West 113th Street. It was dedicated in 1928. The artist János Horvay sculpted a bronze statue of Kossuth standing atop a stone pedestal, and two more bronze figures at its base. The pedestal is embellished with an inscription and a denticulated cornice.WEB,weblink Louis Kossuth, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,

Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

(File:Soldiers'_and_Sailers'_Monument_Manhattan_full_site_at_dusk.jpg|alt=|thumb|Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, dedicated 1902)The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, dedicated in 1902, commemorates Civil War veterans of both the Union Army and Navy. Originally planned for Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, the monument was erected in Riverside Park opposite West 89th Street. The architects Stoughton & Stoughton in collaboration with the architect Paul E. M. DuBoys designed the monument as a circular temple embellished with twelve fluted Corinthian columns atop a rusticated basement, a reinterpretation of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens. The architects sited the monument on a series of stepped terraces surrounded by a low classical balustrade.WEB,weblink Soldiers and Sailors Monument, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live, The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a designated New York City landmark.WEB,weblink Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, September 14, 1976, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, August 20, 2019, August 21, 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190821022301weblink">weblink live,

Warsaw Ghetto Plaza

Riverside Park almost received a monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which would have been located between 83rd and 84th Streets.NEWS,weblink Jewish Memorial To Rise On Drive; Riverside Park Site at 84th St. Will Get Soil From Poland and Sculptured Figures, June 19, 1947, The New York Times, August 24, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 24, 2019,weblink live, A granite plaque, set in the paving at the end of the Promenade, near 84th Street, on October 19, 1947, is inscribed: "This is the site for the American memorial to the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Battle April–May 1943 and to the six million Jews of Europe martyred in the cause of human liberty."Wayne Jebian, "The Missing Monument", 1995 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315020532weblink |date=March 15, 2009 }}. Subsequent proposals for larger monuments were made by Jo Davidson, Percival Goodman, Ivan Meštrović, and a partnership between Erich Mendelsohn and Nathan Rapoport; however, none were approved due to a lack of funding and officials' fears that a large monument might distract drivers on the Henry Hudson Parkway.NEWS,weblink New York Is Still Waiting for Its Own Holocaust Museum, Schemo, Diana Jean, December 12, 1993, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, A monument measuring {{Convert|102|by|60|ft|abbr=}} with a height of {{Convert|80|ft||abbr=}}, to be sculpted by Meštrović, was approved in 1952 but was never built.NEWS,weblink Art Board Drops Ban on Jewish Memorial, July 17, 1951, The New York Times, August 27, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, August 27, 2019,weblink live, NYC Parks restored the site in 2001. It is now called the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial Plaza.WEB,weblink Warsaw Ghetto Memorial Plaza, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Riverside Park Highlights, August 24, 2019, August 24, 2019,weblink live,

Other monuments

There are several other monuments in Riverside Park. These include:

• 1956 Hungarian Revolution memorial: designed by Tamás Nagy and dedicated in 2017.WEB,weblink Memorial to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Hippopotamus Fountain, at 91st Street: designed by the landscape architect Mark K. Morrison, sculpted by the artist Bob Cassilly, and dedicated in 1993.WEB,weblink Hippopotamus Fountain, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• General Horace Porter memorial, at 122nd Street (at Grant's Tomb): a flagpole on a pedestal, dedicated in 1939.WEB,weblink General Horace Porter Memorial, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• John Merven Carrere memorial, at 99th Street: a pink granite terrace designed by the architect Thomas Hastings and dedicated to the architect John Merven Carrère in 1919.WEB,weblink John Merven Carrere Memorial, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, July 18, 2019,weblink live,
• Major General Frederick D. Grant, at 122nd Street (at Grant's Tomb): a flagpole on a pedestal dedicated in 1939.WEB,weblink Major General Frederick D. Grant, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Robert Ray Hamilton Fountain, at 76th Street: designed by the architects Warren and Wetmore and dedicated in 1906.WEB,weblink Robert Ray Hamilton Fountain, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Woman's Health Protective Association memorial, at 116th Street: sculpted by Bruno Louis Zimm and composed of a stele, an exedra, and a drinking fountain, it was dedicated in 1910.WEB,weblink Woman's Health Protective Association, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, February 9, 2019,weblink live,

Plaques

There are several plaques in Riverside Park that commemorate various events or structures. These include:

• Armed Forces Plaque, at 121st Street, dedicated 1953WEB,weblink Armed Forces Plaque, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Battle of Harlem Heights Marker, at 121st Street, dedicated 1961WEB,weblink Battle of Harlem Heights Marker, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Chaplains Memorial. at 121st Street, dedicated 1950WEB,weblink Chaplains Memorial, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Chinese Tablet, at about 124th Street (north of Grant's Tomb), dedicated 1897WEB,weblink Chinese Tablet, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Claremont Inn Tablet, at 123rd Street, dedicated 1952WEB,weblink Claremont Inn Tablet, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Cyrus Clark relief, at 83rd Street, dedicated 1911WEB,weblink Cyrus Clark, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, July 18, 2019,weblink live,
• Henry Neufeld Playground Plaque, at 76th Street, dedicated 1991WEB,weblink Henry Neufeld Playground Plaque, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,
• Marine Heroes Tablet, at 93rd Street, dedicated 1950WEB,weblink Marine Heroes Tablet, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, August 27, 2019, August 27, 2019,weblink live,

Other structures

Riverside Park contains several other physical structures, including a three-story rotunda with a boat basin, a field house,{{rp|24}} and a building used by Riverside Park Conservancy volunteer operations.

79th Street Boat Basin, Rotunda, and cafe

(File:W79_Boat_Basin_Cafe_jeh.JPG|alt=|thumb|The Boat Basin Cafe inside the rotunda, 2008)The 79th Street Boat Basin is one of the boating facilities in Riverside Park. The basin contains 116 slips and is used as a launch site for kayaks, canoes and sailboats.Hajela, Deepti via the Associated Press. "New York City marina living is shipshape" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012145626weblink |date=October 12, 2012 }}, The Washington Times, July 10, 2008. Accessed August 1, 2008. The facility takes in hundreds of thousands of dollars in dock-fee revenues each year. NYC Parks provides fresh water lines and a boat pump-out system for sewage disposal at no additional cost, but all other services, including electricity, telephone, television, and Internet access, are charged to boat owners.NEWS,weblink For Perhaps $490 a Month, a Home on the Hudson River, Ramirez, Anthony, February 19, 2008, The New York Times, August 23, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, March 15, 2022,weblink live, Adjacent to the boat basin, the 79th Street Rotunda, a three-story traffic circle, allows access to the Henry Hudson Parkway and to the park from 79th Street.BOOK,weblink Engineering News Record, McGraw-Hill, 1937, 664, The rotunda is constructed with reinforced concrete clad with cut stone. An underground parking garage sits below it.{{harvnb|ps=.|Grimm|Schroeder|2007|pages=5–12}}An arcade with vaulted Guastavino tiled ceilings surrounds the rotunda and overlooks the marina. Currently, it is the site of the open-air O’Neals’ West 79th Street Boat Basin Cafe. The internal courtyard and seasonal cafe were added after a design competition.Simpson, Jeffrey, and Mary Ellen W. Hern. Art of the Olmsted Landscape: His Works in New York City. New York, NY: New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1981. Print.The designs of the 79th Street Rotunda and Boat Basin have changed little since their construction.BOOK,weblink Guide to New York City Urban Landscapes, Robin Lynn, Francis Morrone, August 5, 2013, W. W. Norton & Company, 978-0-393-73357-0, 276–, The structures were designed to make Riverside Park into a grand "river gate" for marine travelers.

102nd Street Field House

The 102nd Street Field House, adjacent to the Freedom Tunnel structure, was completed in 1937. NYC Parks renovated it in 1964 but it was damaged by fire in the 1970s.{{Rp|24}} NYC Parks renovated the Field House again starting in 2015.WEB,weblink City To Renovate Old Field House In Riverside Park, April 27, 2015, www.westsiderag.com, August 31, 2019, August 31, 2019,weblink live,

Peter Jay Sharp Volunteer House

The Peter Jay Sharp Volunteer House is located at 107th Street. Built in the late 19th century, the structure was formerly a one-story limestone tool shed that had become dilapidated over the years. In 2003, the architects Murphy Burnham & Buttrick converted the building into an architectural folly, adding a mezzanine and second floor, expanding the floor area from {{Convert|500|to|1550|ft2|abbr=}}.NEWS,weblink Postings: In Riverside Park, Near 107th Street; Old Tool Shed Is Transformed For Volunteers, Dunlap, David W., August 24, 2003, The New York Times, September 5, 2019, en-US, 0362-4331, September 5, 2019,weblink live, The Riverside Park Conservancy operates out of the building, with facilities to aid their operation, including: storage space, plant-growing areas, a restroom, a kitchenette, and a meeting room on the second floor.WEB,weblink Peter Jay Sharp Volunteer House {{!, |website=riversideparknyc.org|access-date=September 5, 2019|archive-date=September 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917231349weblink|url-status=live}}

Activities

Riverside Park's numerous recreation facilities include tennis, volleyball and basketball courts; soccer fields; and a skatepark.WEB,weblink Field and Court Usage Report for Riverside Park, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, September 3, 2019, September 3, 2019,weblink live,

Play areas

Riverside Park contains several playgrounds. All of the following playgrounds are located near the intersection with Riverside Drive unless otherwise stated.WEB,weblink Riverside Park Playgrounds, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, August 20, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live,

• Little Engine Playground, at Riverside Boulevard between 67th and 68th Streets
• Classic Playground, at 74th Street
• Neufeld Playground, at 76th Street
• River Run Playground, at 83rd Street
• Hippo Playground, at 91st Street
• Dinosaur Playground, at 97th Street
• 101st St. Soccer Field, at 101st Street
• Riverside Park, at 119th Street
• Claremont, at 124th Street
• Riverbank Playground, at 142nd StreetWEB, Playgrounds : Riverbank Playground : NYC Parks, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation,weblink November 18, 2023,
• Ten Mile River, at 148th StreetWEB, Riverside Park Highlights: Ten Mile River Playground,weblink November 18, 2023, NYC Parks,
• Palisades Playground, at 148th StreetWEB, Playgrounds : Palisades Playground : NYC Parks, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation,weblink November 18, 2023,

Playgrounds that are designated as "Tot Lots" include:

• Tot Lot One Hundred Five, at 105th Street
• Tot Lot One Hundred And Ten, at 110th–111th Streets
• Tot Lot One Hundred And Twelve, at 112th–113th Streets
• Tot Lot One Hundred And Sixteen, at 116th–117th Streets

Riverside Park contains three dog runs at 72nd, 87th, and 105th Streets.WEB,weblink Riverside Park Dog-friendly Areas, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink Dog Runs, Riverside Park Conservancy, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, In addition, Riverside Park contains Riverside Skatepark at 109th Street.NEWS,weblink Preserving a Skateboarding Park and Its Creator's Memory, Kilgannon, Corey, 2013-09-03, The New York Times, 2020-01-28, en-US, 0362-4331, January 28, 2020,weblink live, It was the first full-sized public skatepark in Manhattan, designed and built in 1995 by skateboarder and skatepark builder Andy Kessler.WEB,weblink Collaboration with Teens Creates Popular Skate Park, McKinney, Charles, 1997, Project for Public Spaces, February 23, 2020, February 23, 2020,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Andy Kessler, Skateboard Hero, Dies at 48, The New York Times, 2009-08-13, Martin, Douglas, 2020-01-28, en-US, 0362-4331, January 28, 2020,weblink live,

Recreation

(File:Riverside Park 02.jpg|left|thumb|Springtime in Riverside Park, 2007)Riverside Park contains a number of facilities. There are nine baseball fields in the park, including five standalone fields (four from 104th to 107th Streets and one at 72nd Street),WEB,weblink Riverside Park Baseball Fields, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, as well as two pairs of baseball fields that each overlap with another sporting field, at 77th and 146th/147th Streets.WEB,weblink Baseball Field, Riverside Park Conservancy, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, There are also five sets of basketball courts at 71st, 76th, 102nd, 111th, and 148th Streets.WEB,weblink Basketball Courts, Riverside Park Conservancy, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, Seven handball courts are located in Riverside Park, five at 111th Street and two at 71st Street,WEB,weblink Handball Courts, Riverside Park Conservancy, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, as well as 20 tennis courts, ten each at 96th and 119th Streets.WEB,weblink Riverside Park Tennis Courts, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink Tennis Courts, Riverside Park Conservancy, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, There are also six soccer fields, at 71st, 74th, 77th, 101st, 103rd, and 107th Streets.WEB,weblink Soccer Fields, Riverside Park Conservancy, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, Volleyball courts are located at 102nd, 105th, and 148th Streets.WEB,weblink Volleyball Courts, Riverside Park Conservancy, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, Most of the facilities were built in the 1930s reconstruction of Riverside Park, except a recreational building near West 91st Street, as well as the Columbia University tennis courts near 119th–121st Streets.A free season of events, named Summer on the Hudson, takes place throughout Riverside Park between May and October and hosts events for all including movies, concerts, and children's shows.WEB,weblink Summer on the Hudson : NYC Parks, www.nycgovparks.org, September 3, 2019, September 2, 2019,weblink live, In addition to the 79th Street Boat Basin, there is a kayak launch at 148th Street. During the spring and the summer, a free kayak rental also operates at 72nd Street.WEB,weblink Riverside Park Kayak/Canoe Launch Sites : NYC Parks, www.nycgovparks.org, September 3, 2019, September 18, 2019,weblink live, (File:Riverside Clay Tennis Courts.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|96th Street Clay Tennis Courts, 2022)The Riverside Clay Tennis Association (RCTA) operates ten red-clay tennis courts near 96th Street,WEB, Riverside Clay Tennis Association: Reserving time on the 10 red clay courts, Riverside Clay Tennis Association,weblink August 9, 2022, August 9, 2022,weblink live, which are open to the general public.WEB, Online Tennis Court Reservations Pilot Program : NYC Parks,weblink 2022-08-08, www.nycgovparks.org, July 10, 2022,weblink live,

Management

A nonprofit organization called the Riverside Park Conservancy maintains the park. while NYC Parks owns and operates the land and facilities. The Conservancy's responsibilities include maintaining and restoring park areas, as well as providing educational and cultural programs.WEB,weblink About Us {{!, |website=riversideparknyc.org|access-date=August 30, 2019|archive-date=August 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831000212weblink|url-status=live}} In the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019, the Conservancy had net assets (own equity) of about $4.82 million and liabilities of $1.34 million, which amounted to total assets of $6.16 million. Net assets increased $630,000 from the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018.WEB,weblink Riverside Park Conservancy 2020 Annual Report, Riverside Park Conservancy, 59, February 26, 2023, February 26, 2023,weblink live, In the late 1970s, New York City's park system was in bad shape: underfunded and plagued with crime. As a result, the Riverside Park Fund was founded in 1987 as a grassroots community organization formed to reclaim the park by establishing community gardens and improving park maintenance. The Fund was renamed the Riverside Park Conservancy in 2012.WEB,weblink Three Dozen Trees Felled in Riverside Park, Dunlap, David W., November 9, 2012, City Room, en-US, August 30, 2019, August 31, 2019,weblink live, Merritt Birnbaum, who was previously executive director of the Friends of Governor's Island, was named President & CEO in 2022.WEB,weblink Riverside Park Conservancy Appoints New President and CEO, August 17, 2022, The West Side Spirit, February 26, 2023, February 26, 2023,weblink live, It has 30 staff who focus on park programs and projects, like gardetns, playgrounds, sports fields, monuments and landscaping.WEB,weblink Former City Councilman To Head Riverside Park Conservancy, May 15, 2018, Upper West Side, NY Patch, en, August 30, 2019, August 31, 2019,weblink live, Cumulatively the Conservancy had received $6.6 million in private donations and had spent 80,000 worker-hours on restoring the park.WEB,weblink 2018 Annual Report, 2018, Riverside Park Conservancy, August 30, 2019, August 31, 2019,weblink live, {{Rp|13}}

Robert M. Morgenthau Citizenship Award

The Robert M. Morgenthau Citizenship Award was created by the Riverside Park Conservancy in 2016, in honor of Robert Morgenthau, the former Manhattan District Attorney. It is granted each year to an honoree chosen for their service to the park and the community.WEB, Statement on the passing of Robert M. Morgenthau -, Riverside Park Conservancy, July 22, 2019,weblink May 8, 2020, September 21, 2020,weblink live,

Transportation

There are numerous subway stations that are located within two blocks of the park, all on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line ({{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh}}). From south to north, they are 72nd Street, 79th Street, 86th Street, 96th Street, 103rd Street, Cathedral Parkway–110th Street, 116th Street–Columbia University, 125th Street, 137th Street–City College, and 145th Street.{{NYCS const|map}} Direct bus service is provided by the {{NYC bus link|M5|M11|prose=y}} buses along Riverside Drive, as well as numerous crosstown routes such as the {{NYC bus link|M79 SBS|Bx11|Bx15|prose=y}}. Several other bus routes also stop within a few blocks of the park.NYC BUS MAP, M,

See also

• 10-Minute Walk
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
• Park conservancy

References

Notes

{{notelist}}

Citations

{{Reflist}}

Sources

• BOOK,weblink Manhattan Water-Bound: Manhattan's Waterfront from the Seventeenth Century to the Present, Second Edition, Buttenwieser, Ann L., Syracuse University Press, 1999, 978-0-8156-2801-9, New York City,
• JOURNAL, Cromley, Elizabeth, 1984, Riverside Park and Issues of Historic Preservation, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, University of California Press, 43, 3, 238–249, 10.2307/990004, 990004, 0037-9808,
• BOOK,weblink Riverside Park: The Splendid Sliver, Grimm, Edward, Schroeder, E. Peter, Columbia University Press, 2007, 978-0-231-51219-0,
• WEB,weblink Historic Structures Report: Riverside Park and Drive, July 19, 1983, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, {{harvid, National Park Service, 1983, |access-date=December 24, 2019|archive-date=February 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224092118weblink|url-status=live}}
• WEB,weblink Riverside Park and Riverside Drive, February 9, 1980, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, {{harvid, Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1980, |access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=December 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226210806weblink|url-status=live}}
• WEB,weblink Riverside Park Master Plan October 2017, November 2, 2017, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Issuu, {{harvid, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, 2017, |access-date=August 20, 2019|archive-date=July 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722165255weblink|url-status=live}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• New York City Parks and Recreation Dept.
• Riverside Park Conservancy

{{Upper West Side}}{{Harlem}}{{Protected areas of New York City}}{{Authority control}}