Riverside Park

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Lore & Background

The 191 acres of land in the original park between 72nd and 125th Streets were once inhabited by the Lenape people, but by the 18th century, European settlers used it for farming. Over the years, several villas were constructed along the river. In 1846, the Hudson River Railroad (later the West Side Line and Hudson Line) was built along the waterfront, connecting New York City to Albany. By the 1850s, New York City was growing quickly. In 1865, Central Park commissioner William R. Martin put forth the first proposal for a riverside park along the Hudson River. An act providing for such was presented to the Legislature by commissioner Andrew Haswell Green in 1866 and approved the next year. The first segment of Riverside Park was acquired in 1872 by condemning lots for a cost of $7.25 million, or over $80,000 per acre for each of the 119 acres in the original park. The park also included the construction of Riverside Avenue, a boulevard lined with trees and overlooking the future park and the waterfront. In 1873, the commissioners selected Frederick Law Olmsted, a park commissioner who had also designed Central Park, to redesign the park and avenue. Olmsted devised a plan that would create a main road extending from 72nd to 123rd Streets, with overpasses at 79th and 96th Streets, as well as 'carriage roads' to serve the nearby neighborhood. Construction on Riverside Park and Avenue started in 1874 or 1876. Riverside Avenue opened in 1880 and quickly became popular. A temporary tomb for the late U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant was built at Claremont Hill in 1885. The permanent Grant's Tomb opened at 122nd Street in 1897. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at 89th Street was built in 1902. The first extension of Riverside Park, from 125th/129th to 137th Streets, was completed in 1902. The city acquired land northward to 158th Street in 1903, and with the completion of this park extension in 1908, Riverside Avenue was renamed Riverside Drive.

In Their Own Story

In 1873, Frederick Law Olmsted wrote that Riverside Park 'presented great advantages as a park because the river bank had been for a century occupied as the lawns and ornamental gardens in front of the country seats along its banks. Its foliage was fine, and its views magnificent.' However, Olmsted wrote in 1886 that 'in many important particulars the design has been mangled,' saying that the park's terrain was too steep for recreation, and that Riverside Avenue's trees might block views of the river. Despite this, Olmsted's offer to work with Calvert Vaux to create a unified park design was denied. Furthermore, the railroad cut the park off from the waterfront. In the 1930s, under parks commissioner Robert Moses's West Side improvement project, the railroad track was covered with an esplanade and several recreational facilities. Few modifications were made to the park until the 1980s, when it was renovated and extended southward as part of the Riverside South development.

Reader's Guide

Riverside Park is a public park operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, with support from the Riverside Park Conservancy. It is part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, a pedestrian and bicycle route around Manhattan's waterfront. The park runs from 72nd to 158th Street, between the Hudson River and Henry Hudson Parkway to the west and Riverside Drive to the east. It measures 4 miles long and 100 to 500 feet wide. The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a New York City scenic landmark. Visitors can access the park via Riverside Drive, which runs along its eastern edge. Key features include the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at 89th Street and Grant's Tomb at 122nd Street. The park's esplanade, built in the 1930s, covers the railroad track and provides recreational facilities. The park is part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, making it suitable for walking and cycling.

Did You Know?

• Riverside Park was established by land condemnation in 1872, with the first segment costing $7.25 million for 119 acres.
• Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park, was selected in 1873 to redesign Riverside Park and Avenue.
• A temporary tomb for U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant was built at Claremont Hill in 1885; the permanent Grant's Tomb opened at 122nd Street in 1897.
• The park's first extension, from 125th/129th to 137th Streets, was completed in 1902, and Riverside Avenue was renamed Riverside Drive in 1908.
• In the 1930s, under parks commissioner Robert Moses, the railroad track was covered with an esplanade and several recreational facilities.