NYC Parks’ outdoor pools will open beginning Saturday, June 26 through Sunday, September 12. Daily hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week. Pool capacity will not be limited for the upcoming season. Social distancing is still recommended, and face coverings will be required to enter the facility.
Continue reading “NYC Parks’ Outdoor Pools will Open June 26th ~ Ready-Set-Jump!”
Just in time for World Pollinator Week, June 21 – 27, NYC Parks today announced the completion of 8 brand new ‘Pollinator Place’ gardens, featuring native flora and fauna! With the newly planted gardens, Parks is looking to strengthen the city’s population of native pollinators including caterpillars of butterflies and moths — an essential part of the city’s ecosystem!
Continue reading “NYC Parks Unveils 8 New ‘Pollinator Place’ Gardens”
NYC Parks has unveiled “Tomb Effigy of Margaret Corbin” by artist Zaq Landsberg, the 2020 recipient of the Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award. The artwork will be displayed on the upper plaza of David Rockefeller Linden Terrace at Fort Tryon Park through June 12, 2022.
Continue reading “Zaq Landsberg: Tomb Effigy of Margaret Corbin on view at Fort Tryon Park”
Riverside Park Conservancy announced a free, world-class musical lineup to help celebrate the organization’s 35th Anniversary on Thursday, June 10th from 6-9pm.
From thought to reality, Ann Buttenwieser was inspired by the floating baths of late nineteenth century New York. Establishing The Neptune Foundation, she moved forward with her mission to design and construct a prototype for a new generation of movable waterfront pools for recreationally underserved communities. The Foundation purchased a barge, which was retrofitted to include a half Olympic-size pool ~ and the rest is now history (and in a new book!)
Continue reading “The Incredible Floating Pool Lady Located in The Bronx”
The 22nd annual Amazing Bronx River Flotilla is a celebration of the Bronx River as a revitalized resource for recreation, education, and enjoyment. On Saturday, May 15th, over 50 paddlers journeyed 5 miles down the river in canoes and kayaks, traveling past new and restored parks including the Bronx River Forest, River Park, and Concrete Plant Park, ending at Starlight Park.
Continue reading “NYC Parks + The Bronx River Alliance Celebrate the Annual Bronx River Flotilla”
Save the Dates! The New York Philharmonic’s NYPhilBandwagon2 will be popping up in Marcus Garvey Park, East Harlem from May 14-16. Three days of concerts in the park along Madison Avenue from 123rd to 124th Streets. This event is part of a series of four weekend-long festivals across New York City in May.
Continue reading “#NYPhil Bandwagon 2 Coming to Marcus Garvey Park East Harlem, May 14-16”
This week, the new and improved Almer G. Russell Pavilion in Conference House Park on Staten Island was officially unveiled. The original Conference House Pavilion was built in 1935 to honor Almer G. Russell, a community resident killed in battle during World War I. The pavilion was last remodeled in 2002 and eventually deteriorated due to damage from several storms. Following infrastructural devastation caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011, it was closed to the public. Located at the southernmost point of New York State, Conference House Park houses four historic buildings that trace the history of the borough over the course of three centuries.
Today, just in time for Arbor Day, NYC Parks rolled out its brand new Hug A Tree campaign inviting New Yorkers to go out and (yes, really) hug their trees! Beginning today and running through the end of the summer, Parks is hanging 1,000 “It’s Okay to Hug Me” signs on trees in parks across the city, encouraging New Yorkers to go out and hug their trees and learn about these vital resources – on Arbor Day and beyond!
Continue reading “NYC Parks Launches Hug a Tree Campaign on Arbor Day”
Prospect Park Alliance would like you to put the Spring in your step, with park events from roller skating and carousel rides to boating, bike riding ~ and volunteering.
NYC Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Michael Dockett today joined Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, New York City Council Member Barry Grodenchik, Community Board 8 District Manager Marie Adam-Ovide and community members to cut the ribbon on new upgrades to Redwood Playground in Cunningham Park. The project is one of more than 800 completed under Commissioner Silver’s leadership, advancing the City’s mission to build a more equitable 21st century park system.
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP today joined Staten Island Deputy Borough President Ed Burke, New York State Assembly Member Charles Fall, City Council Member Debi Rose and community members to cut the ribbon on new amenities and upgrades to Faber Park through the Parks Without Borders (PWB) Initiative, funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The project is one of more than 800 completed under Commissioner Silver’s leadership, advancing the City’s mission to build a more equitable 21st century park system.
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, yesterday joined elected officials and community members to officially cut the ribbon on improvements to playgrounds at Morningside Park and Thomas Jefferson Park in Harlem. The projects are two of more than 800 completed under Commissioner Silver’s leadership, advancing the City’s mission to build a more equitable 21st century park system.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Celebrates $5.6 Million Investment in Two Harlem Parks”
NYC Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Michael Dockett today joined Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, and Queens Community Board 2 District Manager Debra Markell Kleinert to unveil the brand new sports and children’s play areas at General Hart Playground in Woodside.
“With these new upgrades, General Hart Playground is now better equipped to meet Woodside’s recreational needs,” said Commissioner Dockett. “I’m thrilled to unveil these new amenities that will serve the children, families, and residents of the surrounding communities for years to come. We’re grateful to the Borough President’s Office and Council Member Van Bramer for their continued support and dedication to providing New Yorkers with equitable, open greenspaces.”
Since the Artist in Residence program’s inception in 2017, artists have yielded an array of unique installations that reflect the cultural, ecological and built landscape. These include Mary Mattingly’s Swale, a floating food forest built atop a barge to advocate for healthy food and gardening, and Katie Holten’s New York City Tree Alphabet, which assigned drawings of local tree species to letters of the alphabet to generate public engagement with nature and conservation. This year, the residency has expanded to support artists across the United States and internationally, with plans to continue expanding in the coming years.
NYC Parks, in partnership with the Bronx River Alliance, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), will livestream the release of 250 alewife fish into the Bronx River. The annual event will take place on Tuesday, April 6th at 11:45am on NYC Parks Facebook.
Continue reading “NYC Parks to Livestream ‘Running of the Fish’ on April 6th”
NYC Parks will kick-off the Anti-Litter campaign by hosting its first “Love Your Park” pop-up event ~ a new facet of the Anti-Litter campaign in 2021.
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, will join staff to clean the park and educate the public on the importance of doing their part to keep our parks clean by joining one of the many volunteer activities hosted as part of the campaign.
Continue reading “Anti-Litter Campaign Kicks-Off in Morningside Park, Harlem on April 2, 2021”
As the cold weather fades, the days get longer, and the sunshine grows stronger, NYC Parks is welcoming spring’s warm embrace with a blooming guide to show you where and when to find flowers around the city, a spring Spotify playlist, Ranger-led park tours, and much more! In addition to the thousands of plants blooming across the city that Parks maintains, the department also cultivates trees, perennials, shrubs, and live plants in its nurseries, with close to 270,000 in various stages of growth preparing to be planted!
NYC Parks today launched the City’s first-ever orienteering course, an outdoor recreational experience that builds wilderness survival skills. New Yorkers are invited to download Parks’ orienteering maps to develop their navigational skills while discovering Alley Pond Park’s forested areas, wetlands, scenic spots and wildlife.
Turn off your GPS and follow along……
Continue reading “NYC Parks Launches First-Ever Orienteering Course at Alley Pond Park in Queens”
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, today announced that he is stepping down as commissioner late spring / early summer 2021. Silver has served as Parks Commissioner since May 2014 – the fourth longest serving NYC Parks Commissioner. An internationally recognized, award-winning, visionary planner, Silver has brought the New York City park system into the 21st Century through design and capital process reform delivering more than 800 capital projects representing a $1.85 billion de Blasio Administration park investment, equitably benefitting New Yorkers of all means, ages and abilities.
Continue reading “Mitchell J. Silver Announces Departure From De Blasio Administration”
NYC Parks today reinterred the fragmentary remains of early New Yorkers found during construction in and around Washington Square Park. Green-Wood Cemetery volunteered their services for excavation, which was overseen by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Director of Archaeology. The human remains were placed in a wooden box and buried five feet below grade within a planting bed in the park. An engraved paver marks the site, near the Sullivan Street and Washington Square Park South entrance.
Continue reading “Remains of Early New Yorkers Reinterred from Washington Square Park this Week”
In celebration of Black History Month, NYC Parks will host a virtual panel focused on the ongoing effort to name park spaces in honor of the Black experience. NYC Parks Presents Honoring Black History: The Parks Naming Project will take place on Wednesday, February 24th from 6:00-7:00pm.
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, last week joined New York City Council Member Peter Koo, Central Park Conservancy President Elizabeth W. Smith, New York Road Runners Chairman George Hirsch and Vice President of Events Ted Metellus, USATF Road Running Technical Council Chairperson David Katz, friends of the Corbitt Family, and running groups and runners from across the city to celebrate the naming of the Central Park loop in honor of the first African American Olympian Ted Corbitt, who was a pioneer in long distance running and ran in the first New York City Marathon wearing the “No. 1” bib. To commemorate the naming, Parks will install six scenic landmark street signs donning ‘Ted Corbitt Loop’ along the 6-mile route, and a Parks branded routed sign at the base of Harlem Hill at 110th St. and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. in Harlem.
NYC Parks today issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the operation and maintenance of Wollman Rink in Central Park and a separate RFP for the operation and maintenance of the Friedsam Memorial Carousel, also in Central Park.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Announces RFP’s for Central Park Carousel and Wollman Rink”
As the COVID-19 vaccine is distributed throughout New York City and the winter storm begins to fade, NYC Parks is remembering and honoring the 96th anniversary of the lifesaving Nome relay, which was completed on February 2, 1925. Following the iditarod trail, famed sled dogs Balto and Togo saved the children of Nome from a diphtheria outbreak by delivering the antitoxin to the remote Alaskan outpost, completing the last leg of a dog sled relay through blizzard conditions.
Union Square Partnership kicked-off 2021 with a transformative plan for the Union Square-14th Street area, concentrating on five key improvements with a focus on accessibility, district-wide connectivity, and substantial increases in public open space.
Save the date, Tuesday, January 26th for the virtual launch event. Let’s take a look at a few of the renderings.
Continue reading “Union Square Partnership unveils 14th Street District Vision Plan 2021”
The NYC Parks Department announced the beginning of a public comment period for the proposed amendment to § 2-13 and § 2-14 of Chapter 2, Title 56 of the Rules of the City of New York, regarding Permits and Fee Schedules as it relates to young adults at NYC Parks recreation centers across the city and the Ocean Breeze Park Track & Field Athletic Complex.
Public comment period for proposed rule change begins January 14, 2021 and will run through February 22, 2021. Make your voice heard.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Could Eliminate Young Adult Membership Fees at Rec Centers!”
NYC Parks and NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) announced a path forward for Big Reuse composting operations. The $11M park renovation project will be abutting Queensbridge NYCHA housing. A community input meeting on this project will take place in January, 2021.
Continue reading “NYC Parks + DSNY Announce Big Reuse Composting Operation!”
In an advisory today, NYC Parks warns New Yorkers of the dangers of venturing onto ice in parks.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Warns ~ Don’t Venture Onto the Ice in the Parks!”
The holidays are here, and with it the return of NYC Parks’ annual Mulchfest tree chipping celebration! Beginning December 26, New Yorkers can recycle their trees at local parks, with convenient drop-off sites in all five boroughs.
Continue reading “MulchFest 2021 Begins on December 26, 2020”
NYC Parks GreenThumb today announced the completion of significant upgrades and renovations at 15 community gardens across four boroughs. They include one new community garden, the Garden of Resilience in Springfield Gardens, Queens, as well as four gardens reactivated with new gardening groups in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, East New York, and Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Greenthumb + Partners Overhaul 15 Community Gardens in 2020”
Ducks on the Loose, and Urban Park Rangers stepped in (rowed in) to rescue the ten ducks in the pond at Bowne Park, Flushing, Queens.
Continue reading “Urban Park Rangers Rescue Ten Ducks from Bowne Park in Flushing”
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, joined Assembly member Al Taylor, Manhattan Deputy Borough President Matthew Washington, Community Board 10 Chair Cicely Harris, President & CEO of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement Malcolm Punter, and community members this week to cut the ribbon on the reconstruction of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Playground in Central Harlem. The $1.59 million renovation is the 51st project completed through the Community Parks Initiative (CPI), the City’s first-ever parks equity initiative, funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Dept Cuts the Ribbon on Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson Playground in Harlem”
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, today joined Deputy Bronx Borough President Marricka Scott-McFadden, State Assembly Member Latoya Joyner, City Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson, District Manager Paul Philps and Parks Chair Paul Lozito of Bronx Community Board 4, and community members to officially unveil the reconstructed Grant Park.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Unveils $3.65 Million Transformation of Grant Park in the Bronx”
Prospect Park’s historic Endale Arch has been restored to its original splendor with a $500,000 restoration funded by Tiger Baron Foundation and Council Member Brad Lander’s District 39 Participatory Budgeting.
The restoration of this historic arch, one of the first architectural elements in Prospect Park, reveals hidden details not seen in more than a century. Take a look at some pictures at the ribbon-cutting today.
Continue reading “Newly Restored Endale Arch in Prospect Park Now Open to the Public”
In honor of the 51st anniversary of Black Solidarity Day, NYC Parks proudly announces it has named 10 park spaces in honor of the Black experience in New York City, memorializing that which is locally, nationally, and historically relevant. In June, the agency pledged to continue to demonstrate how it stands in solidarity with the Black Community in its fight to combat systemic racism. The naming of these park spaces is among the many ways NYC Parks is acknowledging the legacies of these Black Americans, encouraging discourse about their contributions, and working to make the park system more diverse and reflective of the people it serves. The spaces named now represent five Black Women, four Black Men and one Black settlement group; and represent arts, culture, education, sports and more.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Celebrates Black Solidarity Day with With Park Namings”
This week, NYC Parks unveiled the renovated Sensory Garden at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. The Sensory Garden project in the Playground for All Children has expanded the existing planting space within the playground and reconstructed the wheelchair-accessible planting areas. The new design has enhanced and diversified the existing plantings with colorful new foliage and flowers, offering playful light and shadow effects, sounds, touchable textures, and fragrances showcasing native biodiversity.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Unveils Renovated Sensory Garden at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx”
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, joined Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer yesterday to celebrate the completion of a new LEED certified field house and comfort station in Queensbridge Park. The project constructed a new, energy-efficient building to provide facilities for community members and Parks staff.
“After 30 years of being vacant, the brand new Queensbridge Field House will provide new public restrooms for park visitors,” said Commissioner Silver. “This new facility will also serve an important role as base of operations for our maintenance staff in Queensbridge Park. We are grateful for the funding support we received from Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer and Mayor Bill de Blasio to enhance the Queensbridge Park experience.”
Continue reading “NYC Parks Celebrates Completion of Green Field House at Queensbridge Park”
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, today joined City Council Member Peter Koo and City Council Member Francisco Moya unveiled new upgrades to the spectacular Fountain of the Fairs in Queens.
“The Fountain of the Fairs is an iconic symbol of the 1964 World’s Fair that keeps us connected to our city’s rich history,” said Commissioner Silver. “We’re thrilled to restore vibrancy to this historic site for the enjoyment of New Yorkers and visitors. Thanks to Mayor de Blasio’s investment, the revitalized Fountain of the Fairs will continue to serve as a symbol of Queens and place for peaceful respite for generations to come.”
Continue reading “Fountain of the Fairs Restoration Unveiled at Flushing Meadows Corona Park”
NYC Parks Asks Brooklynites to help reimagine five parks in the Borough. Community members can register and participate virtually through registration starting today. Along the way, check out images of Parks improvements already completed.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Asks Brooklynites to Help Reimagine Five Parks”
CityParks announced free online STEM programs this fall with CityParks Learn. Check out all programs, and sign up now.
Continue reading “CityParks Free, Fun Online STEM Programs this Fall, After School”
NYC Parks Assistant Commissioner for Community Outreach and Partnership Development Sam Biederman joined Annika Rembe, the Consul General of Sweden in New York, Harriet E. Berg, Consul General of Norway in New York, NYC Parks Director of Art and Antiquities Jonathan Kuhn, and 2019 Nobel Prize recipient Dr. William G. Kaelin Jr. this week, to unveil eight new inscriptions to the Nobel Monument at Theodore Roosevelt Park.
Continue reading “American 2019 Nobel Laureates Honored on NYC Parks Monument”
Grab your kids and head over to the Forest Park Bandshell, Seuffert Bandshell Parking lot in Queens, for a free Friday night (September 25th) screening of Frozen II.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Department hosts Drive-In Movie Night!”
Fall has arrived, and NYC Parks is celebrating! To welcome the first day of fall, Parks is going live on social media for an autumnal hike through Central Park today, and for those long fall virtual meetings free fall foliage-themed backgrounds featuring some of the city’s most popular parks! or those looking to enjoy the city’s greenspaces virtually, Parks is going live on social media at the North Woods in Central Park at Noon today, bringing the beauty of autumn right to your home. Follow along on Facebook to explore the North Woods’ beautiful Ravine, Loch and Huddlestone Arch.
Out of an abundance of caution, and due to planned shoreline and path reconstruction work, NYC Parks temporarily closed the Cherry Walk path in Riverside Park from W. 100th to W. 125th streets. The closure began onMonday, September 28, 2020 and reopened to pedestrians and cyclists in January, 2021!
Continue reading “NYC Parks Reopened Riverside Park Cherry Walk in January 2021”
NYC Parks today announced the completion of eight projects and soon completion of two others, totaling $42.6 million in renovations to Bronx parks. The projects range from new playgrounds and neighborhood improvements to major capital upgrades, and include transformations through the Community Parks Initiative, Parks Without Borders and Anchor Parks.
Continue reading “Take a Look at the $42.6 Million in Improvements Made to Bronx Parks”
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, joined Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, State Senator Robert Jackson, Community Board 12 Chair Eleazar Bueno, Parks Committee Chair Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, District Manager Ebenezer Smith, Washington Heights BID Executive Director Isidro Medina, Uptown Soccer Academy co-founder David Sykes, and ESPN soccer announcer Roberto Abramowitz this week to celebrate the completion of a brand new soccer field at Highbridge Park.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Unveils New Soccer Field at Highbridge Park”
Have some great ideas about our Parks? NYC Parks celebrates the re-imagining of its community outreach as a part of its capital design process with the launch of online community input sessions ~ responsive to the need for social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual sessions provide opportunities for more equitable outreach for capital projects.
Just in time for Labor Day Weekend, NYC Parks Bronx Borough Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa today joined New York City Council Member Andrew Cohen, New York State Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, and Bronx Community Board 8 Parks Chair Rosemary Ginty to cut the ribbon on the new upgrades to Spuyten Duyvil Playground in the Bronx.
Continue reading “NYC Parks Department Cuts the Ribbon at the Upgraded Spuyten Duyvil Playground”
NYC Parks announced it started rolling out a new multi-pronged campaign this week to address excessive trash being left in parks across the city. With a simple message – show your park some love, New York. Put trash in a bag or can—or take it with you – Parks looks to encourage New Yorkers to do their part.
