NYC Parks Department

City seeks proposals for sports center at Brooklyn Bridge plaza in Dumbo

Photo courtesy of NYC Parks

January 5, 2024

City seeks proposals for sports center at Brooklyn Bridge plaza in Dumbo

New York City is looking to reopen nearly 100,000 square feet of open space at the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time in 15 years. As first reported by Streetsblog, NYC Parks this week released a request for proposals (RFP) seeking contractors to operate a seasonal outdoor activity center for up to six years at the two-lot Anchorage Plaza, located on Old Fulton Street and Washington Street and connected by a ramp known as "Ash Alley" underneath the bridge. According to the RFP, the Parks Department seeks proposals for "parks appropriate" activities, including paddle ball, public art or performances, a dog run, and food and drink vendors.
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Say ‘fir-well’ to your Christmas tree: Mulchfest is back

Mulchfest 2021. Photo © 6sqft

December 29, 2023

Say ‘fir-well’ to your Christmas tree: Mulchfest is back

By Aaron Ginsburg

Sick of your Christmas tree taking up space in your living room? There is an easy (and sustainable) way to ditch it. Starting December 26 and running through January 7, the city's annual Mulchfest offers New Yorkers 72 sites across the five boroughs to drop off Christmas trees to be composted. Those who bring their trees to one of 32 chipping sites on the weekend of January 6 will even get to take a bag of mulch home.
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Events & Things To Do

East Midtown Greenway opens, with nearly 3 acres of public open space on the waterfront

Image courtesy of Skanska

December 20, 2023

East Midtown Greenway opens, with nearly 3 acres of public open space on the waterfront

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has taken a major step forward in its effort to expand the greenway network. The city's Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC Parks on Tuesday officially opened the East Midtown Greenway and the second phase of the Andrew Haswell Green Park, delivering nearly three acres of public open space, a new pedestrian walkway, a pedestrian bridge, landscaping, and a separated bike lane stretching from East 53rd Street to East 60th Street along the East River. The $197.6 million investment fills a significant gap in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.
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NYC launches first-ever Hart Island public walking tours

Image courtesy of David Trawin on Flickr

November 15, 2023

NYC launches first-ever Hart Island public walking tours

By Aaron Ginsburg

Hart Island, the nation's largest public cemetery, will open to the public for the first time this month. The city's Parks Department on Wednesday announced that free walking tours of the Bronx island will be offered twice per month starting November 21. Hart Island, which has served as the final resting place of more than one million people since the Civil War, has long been inaccessible to visitors, with extremely stringent security and once-a-month visitation days. Now, with NYC Parks managing the site, the public can get an up-close look at the island's history, helping undo historical stigmas. The tours will last roughly 2.5 hours, with ferry transportation provided to and from the island.
learn more about the walking tours

NYC dedicates 220-year-old tombstone of Irish immigrant in Washington Square Park

Photos courtesy of NYC Parks

September 22, 2023

NYC dedicates 220-year-old tombstone of Irish immigrant in Washington Square Park

By Aaron Ginsburg

A 220-year-old tombstone uncovered in Washington Square Park over a decade ago will now be honored and put on display. The New York City Parks Department on Friday dedicated the headstone of James Jackson, an Irish immigrant who died in 1799 and was buried in Washington Square Park, a potter's field from 1797 to 1825. The headstone was discovered during a renovation project at the park's Sullivan Street entrance in 2009. The relic is now being presented in one of the windows of the Park House close to where it was discovered, accompanied by an informative sign where visitors can learn more.
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History

All photos courtesy of NYC Parks

August 24, 2023

NYC unveils ‘home for retired playground animals’ in Queens

By Aaron Ginsburg

Six treasured playground animal sculptures have retired to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. Located next to the park's iconic Unisphere, the "Home for Retired Playground Animals," will now house the past-their-prime statues that have been enjoyed by kids in city parks for decades. Currently on display in the space are one aardvark, one camel, one frog, one elephant, and two dolphin sculptures.
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Architecture And Design

Two Bronx parks with fascinating NYC history may become landmarks

Joseph Rodman Drake Park and Enslaved African Burial Ground. Photo courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

August 16, 2023

Two Bronx parks with fascinating NYC history may become landmarks

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar two Bronx parks with unique New York City history for possible landmark status. The Joseph Rodman Drake Park and Enslaved African Burial Ground is a colonial-era burial ground that includes the long-forgotten site of a cemetery for enslaved people. The Old Croton Aqueduct Walk is a popular walking path on top of the famous aqueduct that brought the city its first direct source of water in 1842.
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Policy

Chandeliers made of repurposed plastic bottles hang above Park Avenue

All photos courtesy of Zach Pontz

August 14, 2023

Chandeliers made of repurposed plastic bottles hang above Park Avenue

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new installation along Park Avenue transforms trash into environmentally-mindful works of art. Artist Willie Cole designed four large-scale chandeliers made of 9,000 recycled plastic water bottles that can now be seen on the medians at 69th and 70th Streets. Titled "3000 Buddha Chandelier," "Liberty Lantern," "Soul Catcher," and "Dirt Devil," the sculptures aim to address the need for clean drinking water while recognizing the environmental damage caused by plastic bottles.
Details here

Events & Things To Do

NYC plans to replace Coney Island boardwalk with sustainable plastic decking

Photo via Shinya Suzuki’s Flickr

November 29, 2021

NYC plans to replace Coney Island boardwalk with sustainable plastic decking

By Michelle Cohen

The New York City Parks Department announced this month $114.5 million in funding will be used to kick off the reconstruction of Coney Island's landmarked Riegelmann Boardwalk in the first such overhaul since the wooden walkway was built in the 1920s. But not everyone is on board with the reconstruction, which involves replacing the length of the hardwood boardwalk with recycled plastic decking as part of a sustainability plan. Some residents feel the synthetic material is a poor choice for the waterfront icon.
Find out more about the proposed new boardwalk

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