Peter Detmold Park is a 0.59-acre (0.24 ha) public park in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, United States.[1] Located on a narrow strip of land on the west side of the FDR Drive, the park runs from East 49th to 51st streets and was originally developed as a result of the construction of the adjacent highway in the early 1940s.[2] The park was named after Peter Detmold in 1972 and can be accessed from a staircase leading down from the east end of East 51st Street or a street-level entrance on East 49th Street across from MacArthur Playground.[1][3]
| Peter Detmold Park | |
|---|---|
 Peter Detmold Park in 2023 | |
 | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Turtle Bay, Manhattan, New York, US |
| Coordinates | 40°45′11″N 73°57′51″W / 40.75306°N 73.96417°W |
| Area | 0.59 acres (0.24 ha)[1] |
| Operated by | New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |
History
editEstablishment of park
editThe origins of the park trace back to the construction of the East River Drive in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The stretch of parkland running from East 49th to 51st streets was one of the small parks created as part of the construction of the highway running along the East River, which resulted in the creation of more than 10 acres (4.0 ha) of space set aside for recreational activities.[2] The property for what would become Peter Detmold Park was acquired in three parts between 1942 and 1951.[1]
When the last strip of land for the park was added in 1951, the city moved forward with plans to construct a pedestrian footbridge from the east end of East 51st Street, running across the park and FDR Drive, to connect with a narrow public esplanade along the East River.[4][5] During the design of the East River Drive, overpasses had been planned at various points to allow pedestrians to access the esplanades between the highway and the river.[6] The planned public footbridge at East 51st Street was intended to replace two private footbridges that were located at the east end of East 52nd Street, one of which was next to the River House.[5][7][8]
Local residents protested the proposed location of the pedestrian footbridge, saying that it would encroach upon the park. A petition with over 2,500 signatures was sent to Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri asking for playground equipment to be installed in the park in lieu of the pedestrian overpass.[4][9] Some residents wanted the location of the overpass shifted further north to East 54th Street.[10] However, the city moved forward with constructing the pedestrian overpass across the park at East 51st Street, which was completed in 1952.[11]
Naming
editIn 1972, the park was named after Peter Detmold as a result of legislation introduced by city councilmember Carol Greitzer.[12] The naming was approved by the New York City Council and signed into law by Mayor John Lindsay on July 20, 1972.[13] Naming of the previously unnamed park after Peter Detmold had been suggested by the Turtle Bay Association and Community Board 6 after the death of the local resident and civic leader that had advocated for the preservation of the Turtle Bay neighborhood.[1][12] On the night of January 6, 1972, the 48-year-old Detmold was found unconscious and had been stabbed in the chest on a staircase leading up to his apartment in a brownstone on East 48th Street. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital and pronounced dead. At the time, Detmold was serving as president of the Turtle Bay Association and vice chairman of Community Board 6.[14][15] The crime was never solved.[16]
Renovations
edit
Before his death, Detmold and other community members had been calling for improvements to the park but New York City's fiscal crisis and a lack of municipal funds during the 1970s prevented any significant upgrades. One of the local civic leaders who kept pushing for improvements was James Amster.[12] On October 21, 1986, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the start of a $794,000 project to renovate the park, which was attended by elected officials, community residents, and the twin daughters of Peter Detmold. Improvements included the installation of new benches, lighting, pavement, trees and shrubs, and underground utilities. A landscaped berm was also created to serve as a noise and visual barrier from traffic on the FDR Drive. Other additions made to the park included a gazebo situated within a centrally-located granite pavilion and a pergola near the southern entrance to the park.[1][17][18] The restoration was completed the following year and a grand opening was held on October 2, 1987, that included Parks Commissioner Henry Stern dedicating the gazebo to James Amster.[12][19] Amster had died in June 1986 at the age of 77, just a few months before the start of the renovation project.[20]
A dog run was added to the park in the 1995.[12] Located at the north end of the park in the area below the pedestrian footbridge, it became one of the park's biggest attractions. In fact, the dog run became so popular with dog walkers that park users urged the Parks Department to enforce a limit of bringing four dogs per person to reduce overcrowding, dogfights and noise from barking.[21][22]
The sidewalks and fencing at the park were later reconstructed with $100,000 of funding from councilmember A. Gifford Miller in 1999.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Peter Detmold Park Highlights". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Isaacs, Stanley M. (June 30, 1940). "East River Changes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Handal, Marie-Louis (Winter 2013). "Peter Detmold Park Adorns Turtle Bay And Reflects Its History" (PDF). Turtle Bay News. Vol. 56, no. 1. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Hess, Audrey S. (January 31, 1951). "East River Park Changes Queried". Letter to the Editor. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Moses, Robert (February 2, 1951). "East Side Playground". Letter to the Editor. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Mathieu, George M. (April 14, 1940). "River Drive Progresses". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Borough of Manhattan Topographical Bureau (June 17, 1948). Map Showing a Change in the City Map by Changing the Lines and Grades of the Elevated Public Highway Within the Marginal Street Wharf or Place Along the Waterfront of the East River From East 35th Street to East 42nd Street and Establishing a Ramp Approach Thereto in East 42nd Street and the Marginal Street by Laying Out the Lines and Grades of Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive With an Upper Limiting Plane at Elevation 24 Feet From East 42nd Street to East 48th Street by Laying Out the Lines and Grades of Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive From East 48th Street to East 49th Street and Establishing a Ramp Approach Thereto in East 48th Street and Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive by Widening a New Street From East 48th Street to East 49th Street and by Laying Out the Lines of a New Street Adjacent to Marginal Street Wharf or Place From East 41st Street to East 42nd Street (Map).
- ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Plate 79, Part of Section 5, (1955 - 1956)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ "Park Crosswalk Fought". The New York Times. March 12, 1951. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ "Mothers Protest East River Drive Overpass". Daily News. New York. May 24, 1951. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Goodridge, Charles (June 24, 1952). "Closed East Side Park". Letter to the Editor. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Hanlon, Pamela (2008). Manhattan's Turtle Bay: Story of a Midtown Neighborhood. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 114–116. ISBN 9780738525235. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ Local Laws of the Cities, Counties, Towns, and Villages in the State of New York Enacted During The Year 1972. Vol. 1. New York Secretary of State. 1973. p. 245. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ Arnold, Martin (January 8, 1972). "Realty Man Slain on the East Side". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Faso, Frank; Mulligan, Arthur (January 8, 1972). "Probe Slaying of Realty Big Shot". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnson, Mary (February 23, 2012). "Ex of Slain Preservationist Wants His Unsolved 1972 Murder Case Reopened". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Ladd, Scott (October 7, 1987). "Park Named in Tribute To Slain Civic Activist". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Fulman, Ricki (October 22, 1986). "Detmold Park rehab is begun". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "A.M. Report". Daily News. New York. October 2, 1987. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Lawson, Carol (June 12, 1986). "James Amster, 77, Decorator, Dead". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Wong, Edward (November 28, 1999). "How Many Dogs Are Too Many?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Cohen, Joyce (June 25, 2000). "If You're Thinking of Living In Beekman Place; A Quiet Enclave Only Two Blocks Long". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.