Thursday, August 22, 2013

Parks in New York City: Gramercy Park

By Jeff Myers


Gramercy Park is a non-municipal fenced-in park situated between East 20th and 21st Street in the Manhattan part of New York City. The history of Gramercy Park is as rich and diverse as the city of New York itself. The area that is now Gramercy Park Manhattan started as swamp land. In 1831, a developer named Samuel B. Ruggles (1800-1881) proposed the idea 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 would become the park. Initially the landscaping of the personal park began, encircled by a fence erected in 1833 that still exists today, took place over the next 15 years. Extra planting in 1916 slid the park's deliberate and formal design. Gramercy Park Manhattan was opened to Union squaddies in 1863 to express thanks for protecting the park in the time of the the Civil War.

Gramercy Park history contains the districts surrounding the park. The Player's Club and a couple of the city's first flats are among the well regarded 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 NYC's oldest churches are found in the area with a previous Underground Railroad location. A Victorian mansion that once served as a home for previous State governor Samuel J. Tilden. It is also home to a few charity foundations that are also situated in the important areas surrounding the Gramercy.

There had been an effort to run a cable car through the park in 1890, although it was defeated by those wanting to preserve the park. In 1966, part of the neighborhood was elected a historic district. The area including 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. Gramercy Park remains one of New York's two privately ran parks, owned by the owners of the surrounding properties as intended by Mr. Ruggles when he first proposed the plan for a park in 1831. Today, Gramercy Park is still known for its spring blooming flowers and lush greenery that jazz up the park well into the autumn.

The land surrounding the park has retained its sense of style, frequently matched against London's West End. Zoning laws mean no building in the area is higher than 20 stories tall. Nevertheless, most buidings in the area are just three to six stories tall. Gramercy Park Hotel was added to the location in 1925 and remains a popular place for Big Apple visitors to visit. A bunch of diners and bars known as Irving Place remains a preferred place for locals and visitors to visit. The history of Gramercy Park is as rich and diverse as the city of New York itself and continues to delight all who enjoy the park.




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