NYC Parks: Gramercy Park

By Jeff Myers


Gramercy Park is a non-public fenced-in park found between East 20th and 21st Street in the Manhattan part of New York City. Gramercy Park's history is as rich and diverse as the city itself. The area now defined as now Gramercy Park NY started as swamp land. In 1831, a developer named Samuel B. Ruggles (1800-1881) proposed the concept of a park on the property then owned by James Duane called Gramercy Farm.

Gramercy Park construction began with the draining of swamp land and the creation of parcels of land around what became the park. Initial landscaping of the personal park began, encircled by a fence erected in 1833 that still exists today, happened over the next fifteen years. Extra planting in 1916 softened the park's deliberate and formal design. Gramercy Park NY was opened to Union squaddies in 1863 to express thanks for shielding the park in the time of the the Civil War.

Gramercy Park history contains the areas surrounding the park. The Player's Club and two of NYC's first residences are among the prominent architectural structures in the area. A statue of 19th century actor Edwin Booth as Hamlet was placed in the park by The Player's Club in 1916. Plenty of the city's oldest churches are found in the area with a former Underground Railroad location. A Victorian mansion that once served as a home for former NY governor Samuel J. Tilden. It is also home to several charity foundations that are also found in the historic areas surrounding the Gramercy.

There once was an attempted effort to run a cable car through Gramercy park in 1890, though it was defeated by those looking to preserve the park. In 1966, part of the park was designated a historic district. The area encompassing the park was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. A 4.5 ton bronze sculpture known as Fantasy Fountain was added in 1983. The park remains one of New York's two privately held parks, owned by the owners of the encircling properties as intended by Mr. Ruggles when he first put forth the concept for a park in 1831. Today, Gramercy is still famous for its flowers that bloom in early spring and lush greenery that jazz up the park well into autumn.

The land surrounding the park has held on to its sense of style, often compared with London's West End. Zoning laws mean no building in the area can be built higher than 20 stories tall. Nevertheless, the majority of the buildings in the area are less than six stories tall. Gramercy Park Hotel was added to the location in 1925 and remains a popular place for New York visitors to visit. A bunch of restaurants and bars known as Irving Place remains a popular place for New Yorkers and visitors to visit. The history of Gramercy Park is as rich and diverse as New York City itself and continues to please all who enjoy the park.




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