Highbridge Park

Not to be confused with High Bridge Park in Spokane, Washington.

Public park in Manhattan, New York

Highbridge Park

Highbridge Play Center

Type| Urban park
Location| Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates| 40°50′49″N 73°55′48″W﻿ / ﻿40.84694°N 73.93000°W﻿ / 40.84694; -73.93000
Area| 119 acres (48 ha)
Created| 1865
Operated by| NYC Parks
Public transit access| Subway:  to 155th Street or 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue
​​ to 168th Street
to 181st Street, 191st Street, or Dyckman Street
Bus: M2, M3, M98, M100, M101, Bx3, Bx6, Bx6 SBS, Bx11, Bx13, Bx35, Bx36

New York City Landmark

Designated| June 26, 2007[1]
Reference no.| 2237[1]
Designated entity| Bathhouse facade and pool

Highbridge Park is a public park on the western bank of the Harlem River in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It stretches between 155th Street and Dyckman Street in Upper Manhattan. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The City maintains the southern half of the park, while the northern half is maintained by the non-profit New York Restoration Project.[2][3] Prominent in the park are the Manhattan end of the High Bridge, the High Bridge Water Tower, and the Highbridge Play Center.

## History

[edit]

Highbridge Park derives its name from New York City’s oldest standing bridge, the High Bridge (1848), which was built to carry the Old Croton Aqueduct over the Harlem River. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, the area was sparsely populated with scattered farms and private estates. During the American Revolution, General George Washington used the Morris-Jumel Mansion, adjacent to the southern end of the park near Edgecombe Avenue and West 160th Street, as his headquarters in September and October 1776.[4]

### Establishment

[edit]

The New York City Department of Public Parks acquired a 2.25-mile (3.62 km) strip of land on the Harlem River between 155th and Dyckman Streets in May 1884. Afterward, several commissioners were appointed to assess the value of existing land lots within the park.[5] Local landowners complained about a New York state law that would force them to pay for half of the park's assessed value.[6] A New York Supreme Court judge halted the project in 1886 following disputes over property appraisals.[5][7] The park hosted the 1887 USA Cross Country Championships.[8] In February 1888, Samuel Parsons Jr. and Calvert Vaux were ordered to prepare plans for Highbridge Park, with a main entrance at 159th Street.[9] That June, the secretary of the city's Board of Street Opening was asked to prepare a resolution setting the park's northern and southern borders at 186th and 155th Streets, respectively.[10] The borders were revised in December 1888 to encompass the land between Tenth (Amsterdam) Avenue to the west and the Harlem River to the east.[11][12]

Photo-mechanical print of the Harlem River Speedway in the early 20th century showing river access from Highbridge Park

Three men were appointed in April 1889 to appraise 1,976 lots on the site;[13][14] one of the appointees, former U.S. President Grover Cleveland, declined the position.[15] Property owners continued to oppose the new park,[16] speaking out against a proposed northward extension to Dyckman Street that would have cost $2.5 million.[17] In December 1889, the Board of Street Opening formally decided to reduce the park from 79 to 52.62 acres (31.97 to 21.29 ha), running only from 170th to 181st Street.[18][19] The majority of the new park, approximately 30 acres (12 ha), was to incorporate the original High Bridge Park on the same site.[18]

The area between 190th and 192nd Streets was occupied by the Fort George Amusement Park, a trolley park/amusement park, from 1895 to 1914; its site is now a seating area in Highbridge Park.[20] A racetrack for horses, the Harlem River Speedway, was opened along the riverbank of the park in 1898.[21]

### 20th century

[edit]

#### Early 20th century

[edit]

Highbridge Park in winter, c. 1912, by George Benjamin Luks

The cliffside area from West 181st Street to Dyckman Street was acquired in 1902, and the parcel including Fort George Hill was acquired in 1928. In 1934 the Department of Parks obtained the Highbridge Tower and the site of the old Highbridge Reservoir.

By the early years of the 20th century, upper-middle class New Yorkers would promenade along the wide boardwalks in top hats and bustles. The park provided access to the Harlem River and places for horseback riding and other outdoor sports. By the 1920s dirt and other materials from the build-up of the new Washington Heights neighborhood threatened to ruin the nascent park; a harbinger of bad times to befall the park.[22]

#### Works Progress Administration renovation

[edit]

In 1934, mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia nominated Robert Moses to become commissioner of a unified New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. At the time, the United States was experiencing the Great Depression; immediately after La Guardia won the 1933 election, Moses began to write "a plan for putting 80,000 men to work on 1,700 relief projects".[23][24] By the time he was in office, several hundred such projects were underway across the city.[25]

Moses was especially interested in creating new pools and other bathing facilities, such as those in Jacob Riis Park, Jones Beach, and Orchard Beach.[26] He devised a list of 23 pools around the city, including one at Highbridge Park.[27][28] The pools would be built using funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal agency created as part of the New Deal to combat the Depression's negative effects.[26][29] Eleven of these pools were to be designed concurrently and open in 1936. Moses, along with architects Aymar Embury II and Gilmore David Clarke, created a common design for these proposed aquatic centers. Each location was to have distinct pools for diving, swimming, and wading; bleachers and viewing areas; and bathhouses with locker rooms that could be used as gymnasiums. The pools were to have several common features, such as a minimum 55-yard (50 m) length, underwater lighting, heating, filtration, and low-cost construction materials. To fit the requirement for cheap materials, each building would be built using elements of the Streamline Moderne and Classical architectural styles. The buildings would also be near "comfort stations", additional playgrounds, and spruced-up landscapes.[30][31][32]

Construction for some of the 11 pools began that October,[31][33] with work commencing on the Highbridge and Hamilton Fish Pools.[33] Highbridge Park had been among the first pool sites to be selected, having been announced by The New York Times in April 1934.[34] By mid-1936, ten of the eleven WPA funded pools were completed and were being opened at a rate of one per week.[26] The Highbridge Pool was the fifth of these pools to open,[35][36][a] being opened on July 14, 1936.[37] The complex included a 166-by-288-foot (51 by 88 m) main pool and 166-by-288-foot (51 by 88 m) wading pool.[38]

#### Later 20th century

[edit]

Grand staircase, later cut by the vehicular ramp for the Trans-Manhattan Expressway

In 1940, Moses turned portions of the Speedway into the Harlem River Drive, a 6-lane highway from the Manhattan end of the Triborough Bridge at 125th Street, to the tunnels under Manhattan to the George Washington Bridge. New fences blocked public recreational access to the riverfront. It was this series of actions, according to Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, that "ruined" the park.[39] The Highbridge Play Center bathhouse was restored in the 1960s, during which the original murals by Charles Clarke were destroyed or covered over.[40] The 1,200-foot (370 m)-long, 116-foot (35 m)-tall High Bridge walkway was closed to regular public use around 1970.[41]

The controversial 'Daisy Girl' political advertisement was filmed in Highbridge Park in the summer of 1964.[42]

By the 1970s, Highbridge Park and other city parks were in poor condition following the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis. Particularly in Highbridge Park, large sections set aside as natural areas, had been taken over by homeless people who built permanent shacks made of sheet metal and steel pipes driven into the earth. Prostitutes, drug dealers and drug users frequented the park.[39] NYC Parks commenced a project to restore the pools in several parks in 1977, including at Highbridge Park, for whose restoration the agency set aside an estimated $5.8 million.[35] These projects were not carried out due to a lack of money. By March 1981, NYC Parks had only 2,900 employees in its total staff, less than 10 percent of the 30,000 present when Moses was parks commissioner.[35][43] In 1982, the NYC Parks budget increased greatly, enabling the agency to carry out $76 million worth of restoration projects by year's end; among these projects was the restoration of the Highbridge Park pool.[44] The play center and pool were completely renovated over a three-year period following a design by architect Stephen B. Jacobs. The play center reopened on June 14, 1985.[45]

NYC Parks continued to face financial shortfalls in the coming years, and the pools retained a reputation for high crime.[46] In June 1984, a man set fire to the Highbridge Tower roof before jumping to his death.[45][47] By the mid-1980s, Highbridge had become so degraded that during a manual cleanup in 1986, 250 tons of garbage and 25 auto wrecks were removed, but garbage again began to fill the park within a matter of days.[48] For the summer of 1991, mayor David Dinkins had planned to close all 32 outdoor pools in the city, a decision that was only reversed after a $2 million donation from a trust created upon the death of real estate developer Sol Goldman[49] and $1.8 million from other sources.[46] Additionally, in the 1990s, a practice called "whirlpooling" became common in New York City pools such as Highbridge Park, wherein women would be inappropriately fondled by teenage boys.[50][51] By the turn of the century, crimes such as sexual assaults had decreased in parks citywide due to increased security.[46]

The condition of Highbridge Park has gotten better, and it is no longer a haven for petty crime and other illegal activities. In November 1991, the water tower was restored.[45][47] The New York Restoration Project, chaired by Bette Midler, has been working since 1999 to restore the park.[52] The park also received a renovation in 1996, which included a $305,000 pool filtration system and a $445,000 renovation of heating and ventilation in the pool area.[45]

### 21st century

[edit]

On May 19, 2007, the first legal mountain bike trails and dirt jumps in New York City were opened in Highbridge Park. New York City Mountain Bike Association, working with NYC Parks & Recreation, and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), worked to design and install the trails; the opening weekend featured a festival and cross-country mountain bike race.[53][54][55] Around 2010, the waterfront Speedway was rehabilitated and reopened as the Harlem River portion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.

By late 2011, despite the efforts of both the NYRP and NYC Parks, the infrastructure of the park had decayed significantly.[48][56] The city announced plans for a skatepark under the Hamilton Bridge in 2013,[57] and it opened the following year.[58] The city also announced plans for an ice-skating rink in 2014.[59] A citizen-driven restoration movement culminated in a grant from the Bloomberg administration to repair the bridge and make some other improvements. The restored bridge was reopened on June 9, 2015.[60] However, the park itself still faced several problems. A writer for Curbed NY observed that there were homeless encampments under the Harlem River Drive, and that much of the park south of Washington Bridge remained overgrown. In contrast, the NYRP-maintained northern section of the park was extremely clean.[58]

In 2016, about $30 million in funding was allocated for further improvements to the park's recreational facilities as part of the city's Anchor Parks program.[61][62] At the time, NYC Parks postponed plans for an ice-skating rink due to a lack of interest.[59] The first phase of Highbridge Park's renovations started in December 2018. This entailed upgrades to lighting and paths, cleanup of a 10-block section of the park, restoration of the "Grand Staircase", creation of a "welcome garden" at Dyckman Street, and creation of an ADA-accessible entrance plaza at 184th Street.[63] The second phase, which started in July 2019, included restoration of the water tower and the Adventure Playground at 164th Street.[64]

Firefighters putting out a brush fire in 2024

10–15 acres of dense brush caught fire in November 2024, as part of a series of wildfires in the Northeast United States due to a drought. For many hours, smoke from it billowed over Harlem River Drive. The section that burned is steep, dense, and without much water.[65][66][67]

## Attractions and facilities

[edit]

### Playgrounds

[edit]

There are six playgrounds in Highbridge Park:[68]

* Adventure Playground, at the intersection of 164th Street and Edgecombe Avenue. It was created in 1973, emulating the concept of adventure playgrounds in Europe, and was renovated again in 1989 and 2017.[69]
* CPF Playground, at 173rd Street near the pool
* Fort George Playground, at the intersection of Fort George Avenue and St. Nicholas Avenue. It was named after Fort George and was formerly the site of Fort George Amusement Park before it was destroyed in 1914. The playground was acquired by NYC Parks in 1928 and restored in 1999.[70]
* Quisqueya Playground, at the intersection of 180th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The name "Quisqueya", honoring the local Dominican community, means "cradle of life" which was a native name for Hispaniola. The playground was created in 1934 and restored in 1998.[71]
* Sunken Playground, at the intersection of 167th Street and Edgecombe Avenue
* Wallenberg Playground, at the intersection of 189th Street and Amsterdam Avenue

### High Bridge Water Tower

[edit]

The High Bridge Water Tower from the south in 2008

The High Bridge Water Tower, in the park between West 173rd and 174th Streets, was built in 1866–1872 to help meet the increasing demands on the city's water system. The 200-foot (61 m)-tall octagonal tower was designed by John B. Jervis in a mixture of Romanesque Revival and neo-Grec styles, and was accompanied by the 7-acre (2.8 ha) Highbridge Reservoir. The High Bridge system was inaugurated in 1872, and reached its full capacity by 1875.[47] With the opening of the Croton Aqueduct, the High Bridge system became less relied upon; during World War I it was taken out of service when sabotage was feared.[47] In 1949 the tower was disconnected from the system,[47][72] and a carillon, donated by the Altman Foundation, was installed in 1958.[47] The tower's cupola was damaged by an arson fire in 1984. The tower and cupola were rehabilitated and restored in 1989–1990.[47] The High Bridge Water Tower was designated a New York City landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1967. The High Bridge Water Tower underwent a 10 year, $5 million renovation, and reopened to the public for scheduled tours in November 2021. [73] Tours are free through NYC Parks Department and usually take place several times a month.

### Highbridge Play Center

[edit]

The Highbridge Play Center, on Amsterdam Avenue between West 172nd and West 174th Streets, was built in 1934-36 in the Art Moderne style, during the Fiorello LaGuardia administration. The supervising architect was Aymar Embury II, and the landscape architect was Gilmore D. Clarke, among others. It was built on the site of the reservoir which had formerly served the High Bridge Water Tower, and features a swimming pool.[72][74]

#### Bathhouse

[edit]

Main entrance

The bathhouse is set on an ashlar base above the surrounding street level, while the rest of the structure is made of brick. The building is rectangular: the longer side is on a north-south axis (i.e. parallel to Amsterdam Avenue), while the shorter side is on a west-east axis (i.e. parallel to 173rd Street). Its main entrance is on an elevated, slightly projecting portico at Amsterdam Avenue and 173rd Street. Stone staircases on either side ascend to the portico. The portico itself consists of two brick towers with flagpoles, two concrete piers that carry a concrete architrave, and a bronze sign with the words highbridge play center at the top of the architrave.[35] Just inside the portico, there is a circular turret with a second-story loft, overlooking the first-floor entrance.[35]

The north and south wings respectively contain the women's and men's locker rooms and are nearly identical. Both have nine windows separated by eight brick pilasters. The stone capitals of the pilasters line up with the lintels of the windows. Ramps lead from the extreme ends of each wing. The ground slopes down northward, so that the northern wing is at a higher elevation above the ground than the southern wing.[35] The eastern facade is similar to the western facade, except that it contains entrances to both genders' respective locker rooms, as well as a bronze clock hanging from the architrave. A cellar is below the northern wing.[46]

#### Pools

[edit]

The Highbridge Pool contains two rectangular pools: a main pool to the east and a wading pool to the west. The main pool measures 228 feet (69 m) wide by 165 feet (50 m) long, with the wider dimension extending north-south,[46][b] and a depth of 10.5 feet (3.2 m).[75] The wading pool measures 228 feet (69 m) wide by 97 feet (30 m) long. A 29-foot-wide (8.8 m) promenade surrounds the pool area on the north, south, and east sides. A set of concrete bleachers is to the north of the pool area. A short brick wall encloses the pool area, and niches along the eastern boundary provide another seating area. Just east of the pool area is a set of stairs that leads to the High Bridge. The water tower is at the northeast corner of the pool area.[46]

## Landmark designations

[edit]

The High Bridge Water Tower was designated a New York City landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1967.[72] The Play Center was designated a New York City landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2007.[72] The commission had also considered the pool for landmark status in 1990, along with the other ten WPA pools in the city.[76][77]

## See also

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Highbridge Park, Manhattan, High Bridge Water Tower, Highbridge Play Center and High Bridge (New York City).

* List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan above 110th Street

## References

[edit]

### Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The pools opened in the following chronological order: Hamilton Fish Park, Thomas Jefferson Park, Astoria Park, Tompkinsville Pool, Highbridge Park, Sunset Park, Crotona Park, McCarren Park, Betsy Head Park, Colonial Park, and Red Hook Park.[30][36]
2. ^ Dimensions of the main pool are alternatively given as 220 by 162 feet (67 by 49 m).[75]

### Citations

[edit]

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74. ^ White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 566\. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
75. ^ a b Rein, Lisa (June 30, 1999). "Taking the plunge". New York Daily News. p. 164\. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2021 - via newspapers.com .
76. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 2007, p. 1.
77. ^ Brozan, Nadine (July 30, 1990). "A Crumbling Pool Divides a Neighborhood". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.

### Sources

[edit]

* Noonan, Theresa C. (June 26, 2007). "Highbridge Play Center Exterior" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
* Rodgers, Cleveland (1952). Robert Moses, Builder for Democracy. New York: Holt. OCLC 528489.

## External links

[edit]

* nycgovparks.org: Highbridge Park
* New York Restoration Project: Highbridge Park
* Alliance For Progress - Advocacy Project
* Washington Heights & Inwood Online - Highbridge Park
* wirednewyork.com: Highbridge
* High Bridge Park Development Association

* v
* t
* e

Washington Heights

Manhattan, New York City

Green spaces

* Fort Tryon Park
* Fort Washington Park
* Inspiration Point
* Gorman Park
* Highbridge Park
* J. Hood Wright Park
* McKenna Square
* Plaza Lafayette

Religion

| Current|

* Church of the Incarnation
* Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Matthew
* Fort Tryon Jewish Center
* Fort Washington Presbyterian Church
* Hebrew Tabernacle of Washington Heights
* Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church
* Holyrood Episcopal Church
* Khal Adath Jeshurun
* Mount Sinai Jewish Center
* Our Lady of Esperanza Church
* St. Elizabeth Church
* St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine
* St. Rose of Lima Church
* St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church

|

Former|

* Old Christ Church Lutheran
* Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church
* St. Teresa of Avila Church

Culture

| Current|

* Audubon Terrace
* Hispanic Society of America
* The Cloisters
* United Palace

|

Former|

* 181st Street Ice Palace
* Boxers NYC Washington Heights
* Coliseum Theatre
* Coogan's
* Fort George Amusement Park
* Hilltop Park

Buildings and structures

| Current|

* 555 Edgecombe Avenue
* Bridge Apartments
* Castle Village
* Duke Ellington House
* Fort Washington Avenue Armory
* Hudson View Gardens
* Morris–Jumel Mansion

|

Former|

* Fort George
* Fort Washington
* Highbridge Reservoir
* Paterno Castle

Health

* Columbia University Irving Medical Center
* Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research
* Columbia University School of Nursing
* Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
* Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
* Sloane Hospital for Women
* Incarnation Children's Center
* Wadsworth Hospital

Education

| Current|

* George Washington Educational Campus
* Gregorio Luperón High School for Math & Science
* Incarnation School
* Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center
* Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School
* Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
* Yeshiva University

|

Former|

* Mother Cabrini High School

Transportation

| Subway stations|

* 155th Street/St. Nicholas
* 157th Street
* 163rd Street–Amsterdam Avenue
* 168th Street
* 175th Street
* 181st Street/St. Nicholas
* 181st Street/Fort Washington
* 190th Street
* 191st Street

|

Streets and roads|

* 178th–179th Street Tunnels
* Amsterdam Avenue
* Audubon Avenue
* Broadway (Manhattan)
* Cabrini Boulevard
* Fort Washington Avenue
* Plaza Lafayette
* St. Nicholas Avenue

Other|

* George Washington Bridge Bus Station

Related topics

* Audubon Park
* Hudson Heights
* Jumel Terrace

See also: Manhattan Community Board 12

* v
* t
* e

Protected areas of New York City

Federal

| National Historic Sites|

* Lower East Side Tenement Museum
* Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

|

National monuments
and memorials|

* African Burial Ground
* Castle Clinton
* Federal Hall
* General Grant
* Governors Island
* Hamilton Grange
* Statue of Liberty
* Stonewall

National recreation areas|

* Gateway National Recreation Area - Jamaica Bay
* Floyd Bennett Field
* Fort Tilden
* Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
* Jacob Riis
* Gateway National Recreation Area - Staten Island
* Fort Wadsworth
* Great Kills
* Hoffman Island
* Miller Field
* Swinburne Island

State

| State Parks|

* Bayswater Point
* Clay Pit Ponds
* Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms
* Gantry Plaza
* Marsha P. Johnson
* Riverbank
* Roberto Clemente
* Shirley Chisholm

|

State recreation lands|

* Mount Loretto Unique Area
* Udalls Cove

City parks and preserves

| Manhattan|

* 79th Street Boat Basin
* Abe Lebewohl Park
* Abingdon Square
* Albert Capsouto
* Asphalt Green
* Asser Levy
* Battery
* Bella Abzug (Hudson)
* Bellevue South
* Bennett
* British Garden at Hanover Square
* Bowling Green
* Bryant
* Captain Patrick J. Brown Walk
* Carl Schurz
* Central
* Diana Ross Playground
* Great Lawn Rec Center
* Heckscher Playground
* North Meadow Rec Center
* Tarr Family Playground
* Chelsea
* City Hall
* Coleman Playground
* Collect
* Columbus
* Corlears Hook
* Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
* Damrosch
* Dante
* DeSalvio Playground
* DeWitt Clinton
* Drumgoole Plaza
* Duane
* East River Greenway
* East River Esplanade
* East River
* Pier 42
* Stuyvesant Cove
* Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza
* Father Demo Square
* Finn Square
* Foley Square
* Fort Tryon
* Fort Washington
* Gorman
* Governors Island
* Gramercy
* Greenacre
* Hamilton Fish
* Hanover Square
* Harlem River
* Hell's Kitchen
* Herald Square
* High Line
* Highbridge
* Fort George Seating Area
* Holcombe Rucker
* Hudson River
* Ilka Tanya Payán
* Imagination Playground
* Inwood Hill
* Isham
* J. Hood Wright
* Jackie Robinson
* Jackson Square
* John Jay
* Liberty
* Little Island
* Louis Cuvillier
* Madison Square
* Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
* MacArthur
* Marcus Garvey
* McKenna Square
* Millennium
* Mill Rock
* Mitchell Square
* Montefiore Square
* Morningside
* Murphy's Brother's Playground
* Muscota Marsh
* Open Road
* Paley
* Peretz Square
* Peter Cooper
* Peter Detmold
* Plaza Lafayette
* Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden
* Ralph Bunche
* Randalls Island
* Richard Tucker Square
* Riverside
* Robert Moses Playground
* Roosevelt Triangle
* Rucker
* Sakura
* Samuel N. Bennerson 2nd Playground
* Sara Delano Roosevelt
* Septuagesimo Uno
* Seward
* Sheridan Square
* Sherman Square
* Spring Street
* St. John's
* St. Nicholas
* St. Vartan
* Straus
* Stuyvesant Square
* Swindler Cove
* Teardrop
* Theodore Roosevelt
* Thomas Jefferson
* Thomas Paine
* Tompkins Square
* Tribeca
* Trygve Lie
* Union Square
* Verdi Square
* Vesuvio Playground
* Vietnam Veterans Plaza
* Vincent F. Albano Jr.
* Wagner
* Wards Island
* Washington Market
* Washington Square
* West Side Community Garden
* William A. Harris Garden
* Winston Churchill Square
* Zuccotti

|

The Bronx|

| East Bronx|

* Bicentennial Veterans
* Castle Hill
* City Island Wetlands
* Ferry Point
* Givans Creek Woods
* Haffen
* Harding
* Hart Island
* Magenta Playground
* Pelham Bay
* Hunter Island
* Orchard Beach
* Rodman's Neck
* Pelham Parkway
* Pugsley Creek
* Richman
* Seton Falls
* Seton
* Soundview
* Starlight

|

West Bronx|

* Aqueduct Walk
* Bridge
* Bronx
* Bronx Skate Park
* Devoe
* Ewen
* Harris
* Henry Hudson
* Jerome
* Mosholu Parkway
* Poe
* Raoul Wallenberg Forest
* Riverdale
* Spuyten Duyvil Shorefront
* St. James
* University Woods
* Van Cortlandt
* Vidalia
* Vinmont Veteran
* Washington's Walk
* Williamsbridge Oval

South Bronx|

* Baretto Point
* Bill Rainey
* Carlos J. Lozada Playground
* Claremont
* Concrete Plant
* Crotona
* Estella Diggs
* Grant
* Hunts Point Riverside
* Joseph Rodman Drake
* Joyce Kilmer
* Julius Richman
* Macombs Dam
* Mill Pond
* Mullaly
* North and South Brother Islands
* Playground 52
* Printer's
* Richman
* St. Mary's
* Taqwa Community Farm
* Tremont

Brooklyn|

* Alben Square
* American Veterans Memorial Pier
* Amersfort
* Anthony Catanzaro Square
* Asser Levy
* Ascenzi Square
* Bath Beach
* Betsy Head
* Bensonhurst
* Bocchino-Dente Memorial Plaza
* Breukelen Ballfields
* Brooklyn Bridge
* Brooklyn Heights Promenade
* Brooklyn–Queens Greenway
* Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway
* Brower
* Bushwick
* Byrne
* Cadman Plaza
* Canarsie
* Carroll
* Calvert Vaux
* Chief Charles A. Joshua Plaza
* City Line
* Coffey
* Columbus
* Commodore Barry
* Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk
* Coney Island Creek
* Coney Island Cyclone
* Continental Army Plaza
* Cooper
* Domino
* Dyker Beach
* Eastern Parkway
* Fort Greene
* Four Sparrow Marsh
* Frank M. Charles
* Fresh Creek Nature Preserve
* Friends Field
* Fulton
* Golconda Skate Park
* Gravesend
* Green Central Knoll
* Herbert Von King
* Highland
* Irving Square
* JJ Byrne
* Jamaica Bay
* John J. Carty
* John Paul Jones
* Kaiser
* Kelly
* Leif Ericson
* Leon S. Kaiser Playground
* Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino
* Lincoln Terrace
* Linden
* Lindower
* Linton
* Macri Triangle
* Manhattan Beach
* Maria Hernandez
* Marine
* McCarren
* McGolrick
* McKinley
* Mt. Prospect
* Nellie Bly
* Ocean Parkway
* Owl's Head
* Paerdegat Basin
* Paerdegat
* Prospect
* Red Hook
* Robert E. Venable
* Russell D. Ramsey Triangle
* Saratoga
* Scarangella
* Seaside
* Seth Low
* Shore
* Spring Creek
* Steeplechase
* Sternberg
* St. Johns
* Sunset
* Tompkins
* Trinity
* Van Voorhees
* Walt Whitman
* Wingate
* WNYC Transmitter
* Zion Triangle

Queens|

* Admiral
* Alley Pond
* Andrews Grove
* Astoria
* Baisley Pond
* Bayside Fields
* Bayswater
* Beach Channel
* Big Bush
* Bowne
* Brant Point Wildlife Sanctuary
* Breininger
* Broad Channel American
* Broad Channel
* Broad Channel Wetlands
* Brooklyn–Queens Greenway
* Brookville
* Bulova
* Captain Tilly
* Catholic War Veterans Triangle
* Chris Postiglione Triangle
* College Point Fields
* Crocheron
* Cunningham
* Det. Keith L. Williams
* Det. William T. Gunn
* Dr. Charles R. Drew
* Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary
* Doughboy
* Douglaston
* Elmhurst
* Evergreen
* Far Rockaway Skate Park
* Feehan Triangle
* Flushing Fields
* Flushing Meadows-Corona
* Foch Sitting Area
* Forest
* Fort Tilden
* Fort Totten
* Francis Lewis
* Frank Golden
* Frank Principe
* Haggerty
* Harvey
* Highland
* Hillcrest Veterans Square
* Hinton
* Hoffman
* Hook Creek
* Hunter's Point
* Idlewild
* Jamaica Bay
* Joe Sabba
* John Golden
* Judge Moses Weinstein Playground
* Juniper Valley
* Kissena
* Kohlreiter Square
* Kopytko Triangle
* Libra Triangle
* Linden
* Linnaeus
* Little Bay
* LoCicero Triangle
* Louis Pasteur
* Lynch Triangle
* Mafera
* Macneil
* Marconi
* Marie Curie
* Montbellier
* O'Donohue
* One Room Schoolhouse
* Overlook
* Park of the Americas
* Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto
* Playground Seventy Five
* Ofc. Edward Byrne
* Powell's Cove
* Proctor-Hopson Circle
* Queens County Farm Museum
* Queensbridge
* Rachel Carson
* Railroad
* Ralph Demarco
* Remsen Cemetery
* Rochdale
* Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk
* Rockaway Community
* Roy Wilkins
* Rufus King
* Seagirt Avenue Wetlands
* Socrates Sculpture
* Spring Creek
* Springfield
* St. Albans
* Travers
* Travis Triangle
* Triangle 54
* Tribute
* Tudor
* Turtle Playground
* Underbridge Dog Run
* Vleigh Playground
* Walter J. Wetzel Triangle
* Wayanda

Staten Island|

| North Shore
(Community District 1)|

* Allison Pond
* Austen House
* Buono Beach
* Barrett
* Clove Lakes
* Clove's Tail
* Corporal Thompson
* Eibs Pond
* Faber
* Forest Grove
* Fort Hill
* Gaeta
* Graniteville Quarry
* Graniteville Swamp
* Hero
* Ingram Woods
* Jones Woods
* Joseph Manna
* Lyons Pool Recreation Center
* Maple Woods
* Northerleigh
* Richmond Terrace Wetlands
* Sailors' Snug Harbor
* Shooters Island
* Silver Lake
* Sobel Court
* Tappen
* Tompkinsville
* Von Briesen
* Walker
* Westerleigh

|

Mid-Island
(Community District 2)|

* Blood Root Valley
* Bradys Pond
* Deere
* Father Macris
* FDR Boardwalk
* Gen. MacArthur
* High Rock
* Last Chance
* Midland Field
* Ocean Breeze
* Old Place Creek
* Prall's Island
* Saw Mill Creek Marsh
* Schmul
* South Beach Wetlands
* St. George
* Staten Island Industrial
* Westwood
* Willowbrook

Mid-Island & South Shore
(Community Districts 2 & 3)|

* Freshkills
* LaTourette
* Meredith Woods
* William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge

South Shore
(Community District 3)|

* Aesop
* Amundsen Circle
* Annadale
* Arbutus Woods
* Arden Woods
* Bayview Terrace
* Bloomingdale
* Blue Heron
* Blueberry
* Bunker Ponds
* Carlton
* Conference House
* Crescent Beach
* Fairview
* Great Kills
* Huguenot Ponds
* Hybrid Oak Woods
* Isle of Meadows
* King Fisher
* Kingdom Pond
* Lemon Creek
* Long Pond
* Olmstead-Beil House
* Reed's Basket Willow Swamp
* Seaside Wildlife Nature
* Siedenburg
* Tottenville Shore
* Wegener
* Wolfe's Pond

Other

| Nature centers|

* Alley Pond
* Belvedere Castle
* Blue Heron
* Crotona
* Dana Discovery Center
* Forest
* Fort Greene
* Fort Totten
* Greenbelt
* High Rock
* Inwood Hill
* Orchard Beach
* Prospect
* Salt Marsh
* Van Cortlandt

|

Zoos|

* Bronx
* Central Park
* Prospect Park
* Queens
* Staten Island

Botanical gardens|

* Brooklyn Botanic
* Conservatory
* New York Botanical
* Queens Botanical
* Staten Island Botanical
* New York Chinese Scholar's
* Wave Hill

Roosevelt Island|

* Lighthouse
* Southpoint

Other lists|

* World War I-related parks
* Vietnam War-related parks
* Hispanic and Latino-related parks

* Category
* Department of Parks and Recreation
* New York State
* Commons

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