Greensward

Mr. Mayor, tear down this fence. (Geoffrey Croft/NYC Parks Advocates)

Sutton Place South Gives Up the Ghost… of Its Backyard

It appears they have opened the open space floodgates on the East Side of Manhattan.

Ever since the city reached a land deal with the United Nations to help build a new East River park, a parade of new developments have taken place in Manhattan’s rarefied reaches. There are new plans for the U.N. and the esplanade beside it, and the Related Companies has finally revealed new plans for Rupert Playground, where it wants to build condos and a medical facility.

Reversing the karma of the public-to-private transfer at the playground, the city yesterday reached a settlement with Sutton Place South, the East 50s co-op that for over a century has controlled a private park overlooking the river. When the FDR was built, the co-op was given control of a new park built on piers over it, but that deal lapsed in 1990, though it was not brought to light until a few years ago. As with so many things in the world, litigation ensued. Read More