{"id":1989,"date":"2025-04-10T17:49:40","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/?p=1989"},"modified":"2025-08-13T18:26:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T15:26:10","slug":"riverside-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/parks\/riverside-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Riverside Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

Address: 475 Riverside Drive, Ste 455 New York, NY 10115<\/p>\n

Phone:\u00a0212-870-3070<\/p>\n

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About Riverside Park Conservancy<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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The Conservancy cares for six miles of parkland on the West Side of Manhattan from 59th to 181st Street. Working alongside the New York City Parks Department, we make improvements as diverse as the park itself and the city it serves.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our Vision & Values<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are committed to ensuring that our park is a dynamic and vibrant space for all to enjoy. Our vision is grounded in comfort, community, environmental stewardship, and opportunities for active engagement. As we look to the future, we see a Park where users feel safe and welcomed, where nature is nurtured and protected, and where recreation and programming flourish.<\/p>\n

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Our Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Riverside Park Conservancy was born out of several grassroots neighbor groups with shared missions. The Friends of Riverside Park, the 91st Street Playground Project, the Riverside Clay Tennis Association, The Garden People, and youth sports leagues, as well as other groups, represented a new and evolving form of public-private partnership rooted in direct involvement from the community \u2014\u00a0demonstrated the deep love and commitment New Yorkers have for their parks.<\/p>\n

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1970s: The Financial Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Together with the Parks Department, these seminal groups confronted the worst of conditions: the City\u2019s financial crisis of the 1970s led to major disinvestment from its parks, including Riverside Park, leaving them seemingly abandoned and in many places close to ruin.<\/p>\n

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1986: The Birth of Riverside Park Fund<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 1986, neighborhood residents Peter Wright, Jean Gardner, and Mary Frances Shaughnessy, and other like-minded citizens, created an organization that would be more effective at raising private funds for the operation of the Park, and Riverside Park Conservancy (at that time known as the Riverside Park Fund) was born.<\/p>\n

Bill Alex, a Calvert Vaux scholar, provided a desk for the Riverside Park Fund in his office at the Interchurch Center at 120th Street and Riverside Drive, and Riverside Park Conservancy is still housed in that building today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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At first, the Conservancy hired contractors directly to inspect and care for the Park, with tacit approval from the Parks Department. It also raised money that was donated to the Parks Department.<\/p>\n

This allowed the Department to hire full\u2011time and seasonal employees, and to pay for materials and contracts for forestry, fencing, and electrical work.\u00a0Thus began\u00a0a long-standing symbiotic relationship between the nonprofit organization and the city department.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Working closely with Riverside Park\u2019s first administrator, Charles McKinney, Riverside Park Conservancy encouraged neighbors to dig in, literally. Groups would come out for volunteer days to rake leaves, sweep, collect trash, and paint fences and benches. The Conservancy enabled individuals to adopt a specific site as \u201ctheir\u201d garden. Tools, plants, and guidance were provided, and in return, the volunteer made a long-term commitment to providing regular, ongoing care.<\/p>\n

Beyond the work they did with their hands, these \u201cParkTenders\u201d became a rooted presence in the Park, and served as ambassadors for the Conservancy, the Park, and the collaborative local effort to restore it.<\/p>\n

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1986-2006: Working with NYC<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Between 1986 and 2006, there was no official relationship between the New York City Parks Department and Riverside Park Conservancy. By all accounts, it was an informal, relationship\u2011based agreement between the City and the Conservancy about the work that would happen and how.<\/p>\n

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2006: Official Recognition<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 2006, an agreement was signed to\u00a0make the Conservancy a more officially sanctioned supporting organization of Riverside Park.\u00a0But no matter how it has been defined, the symbiotic relationship covers the vast majority of the work done by the Parks Department inside the Park.<\/p>\n

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2009: The First Riverside Park Conservancy President<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 2009, the trustees of Riverside Park Conservancy together with the Parks Department took a step that would change this. Adopting a model used effectively by other conservancies, most notably in Central Park, the Parks Department\u2019s Riverside Park administrator John Herrold took on the added role of Riverside Park Conservancy President.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Having both sides of the partnership coordinated by one person with an inside view of the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of the overall operation\u00a0allowed the Conservancy to take on a permanent and substantial role in the daily operations and programming of the Park.<\/p>\n

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2009: North Park Initiative<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Another notable undertaking in 2009 was the launch of the\u00a0North Park Initiative. This Initiative, which is still active today, sought to\u00a0address years of neglect and disinvestment north of 120th Street, which has led to great disparities in amenities, cleanliness, and overall conditions between the Park\u2019s northern and southern tiers that are still apparent today. The North Park Initiative was created to focus additional time, advocacy, and resources on the part of the Park bordering the Morningside Heights and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods from 120th to 155th Streets, as well as the shoreline portion of Fort Washington Park through 181st Street.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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These areas are home to communities that are predominantly Black or Latinx, who experience poverty rates three times greater than the Upper West Side.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Conservancy is determined to make sure that the neighbors living alongside this stretch of the Park enjoy all of the benefits that come along with living in close proximity to top quality green space.<\/p>\n

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2010: Zone Gardeners<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In the spring of 2010, Riverside Park Conservancy hired four full time \u201cZone Gardeners\u201d who initially had been only hired for the season due to funding uncertainty.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0the horticultural restoration and care of a landscape requires not just skill, but long-term involvement, observation, and understanding of the landscape across the seasons.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Seeing which plants take to the location and which do not is something not always apparent in one season. The establishment of full-time gardening positions provided personal stability for the professionals filling these roles, and made long-term plans the landscape possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Over time, this continuous maintenance \u2013 and the visible staff presence \u2013\u00a0made it clear to the community that the Park was being actively tended to.<\/strong>\u00a0The visible impacts of this work gave the Conservancy a structured program around which to further bolster its fundraising efforts, and positive changes continued to culminate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Another critical aspect of this new program would be providing the Zone Gardeners with adequate support. Each Gardener would have the necessary tools, including transportation, and attentive support from a supervisor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In addition to magnifying the Conservancy\u2019s impact on the park, the Zone Gardener Program,\u00a0which in 2022 supports a team of nearly two dozen full time professional gardening staff<\/strong>, has also changed the way the Parks Department and Conservancy interact on a daily basis. The Zone Gardeners are in the park every day, clocking in each morning, and picking up their vehicles and tools side by side with the Parks Department\u2019s personnel. They are also in close communication with the Park\u2019s dedicated volunteers, who continue to supplement the Gardeners\u2019 work by stewarding particular areas.<\/p>\n

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2015: Expansion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 2015, the Conservancy extended its purview to the southern shoreline portion of Ft. Washington Park up to 181st Street.\u00a0This expanded to scope of its work to include five parks: Riverside Park South, Riverside Park, Sakura Park, West Harlem Piers Park, and a portion of Ft. Washington Park.<\/p>\n

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2018: First CEO of the Conservancy<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I<\/span><\/span>n 2018, to focus on fundraising and raise\u00a0<\/span>its\u00a0<\/span>public profile<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>the Conservancy<\/span>\u00a0brought on\u00a0<\/span>its first\u00a0<\/span>President and CEO, Dan Garodnick.\u00a0<\/span>Under\u00a0<\/span>Dan<\/span>\u2019s leadership, the Conservancy<\/span>\u00a0increased its<\/span>\u00a0visibility<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0steadily gr<\/span>o<\/span>w<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0its budget and staff size.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>H<\/span>e made advocacy a focus\u00a0<\/span>for the organization<\/span>, directing the City\u2019s attention to Riverside Park.\u00a0<\/span>In the face of unique challenges brought on by the COVID Pandemic,\u00a0<\/span>a number of<\/span>\u00a0significant c<\/span>apital projects were completed under Dan\u2019s tenure, i<\/span>ncluding the completion of<\/span>\u00a0the 102<\/span><\/span>nd<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Street Field House, step ramp<\/span>\u00a0repairs,<\/span>\u00a0and pr<\/span>oviding<\/span>\u00a0horticultural care for the entire length of the Park.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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2019: Goats Hit the Slopes<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 2019, the Conservancy began \u201cemploying\u201d a seasonal crew of goats to clear weeds and invasive plants\u00a0<\/span>in<\/span>\u00a0designated areas of the park. The weed-chomping animals, adept at removing tenacious invasives such as porcelain berry and mugwort from\u00a0<\/span>otherwise hard-to-reach<\/span>\u00a0slopes a<\/span>re<\/span>\u00a0a sustainable, green alternative to\u00a0<\/span>chemical-based\u00a0<\/span>herbicides.\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>bove and beyond<\/span>\u00a0performing<\/span>\u00a0their core\u00a0<\/span>function<\/span>s, the\u00a0<\/span>goats<\/span>\u00a0quickly became media darlings and\u00a0<\/span>perennial\u00a0<\/span>favorites of<\/span>\u00a0park goers<\/span>\u00a0and neighbors<\/span>, helping to raise awareness of the Conservancy\u2019s larger sustainability and environmental justice initiatives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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2022: A Leap Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In September 2022, the Conservancy brought on Merritt Birnbaum as its next President & CEO<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Merritt has led strategic programmatic growth and fundraising campaigns for the Conservancy. She has<\/span>\u00a0shepherded major capital projects in partnership with the Parks\u00a0<\/span>Department,\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0brought\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>n\u00a0<\/span>emphasis on advocacy and\u00a0<\/span>environmental<\/span>\u00a0justice<\/span>\u00a0to the conservancy\u2019s work,<\/span>\u00a0with a particular focus on intensifying efforts in the northern half of the\u00a0<\/span>P<\/span>ark<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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2023: Compost Compound Established<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Riverside Park Conservancy funded the creation of a new\u00a0Compost Compound in a\u00a0<\/span>former<\/span>\u00a0derelict parking lot at 96th\u00a0Street. This is the FIRST facility for processing horticultural waste at scale in an NYC public park.\u00a0Not only did\u00a0<\/span>the compound<\/span>\u00a0enable Riverside Park to create a closed loop\u00a0<\/span>systems for\u00a0<\/span>process<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0plant material into compost<\/span>\u00a0to be<\/span>\u00a0used\u00a0<\/span>back\u00a0<\/span>in the park, significantly reducing the amount of green waste trucked to landfills,\u00a0<\/span>it also\u00a0<\/span>served as a model for a subsequent New York City Council resolution requiring NYC Parks to establish new facilities for composting horticultural waste within parks across all five boroughs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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2025: An Exciting Year Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Phase 6 of Riverside Park South construction is due for completion. This final phase will introduce a large, multi-use athletic field, basketball courts, pickle ball courts, new entry points at 64th and 62nd Streets, accessible ramps, and improvements to the entrance at 59th\u00a0<\/span>Street. Since<\/span>\u00a0the first phase of construction of Riverside Park South began in 2001, the park, which stretches from 59th to 65th Streets has become a favorite spot for many New Yorkers, and hosts\u00a0<\/span>a number of<\/span>\u00a0arts, cultural, wellness, recreational and entertainment events annually.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0Information and photos taken from the site: www.riversideparknyc.org<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Address: 475 Riverside Drive, Ste 455 New York, NY 10115 Phone:\u00a0212-870-3070     About Riverside Park Conservancy The Conservancy cares for six miles of parkland on the West Side of Manhattan from 59th to 181st Street. Working alongside the New York City Parks Department, we make improvements as diverse as the park itself and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1989"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1997,"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1989\/revisions\/1997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.camegone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}