Riverside Park is a long narrow strip
of land between Riverside Drive and the Hudson River, extending from
72nd street to 158th street. Prehistoric
glaciers left rocky outcroppings and steep bluffs on the site and
before European settlement the rough terrain was only sparsely
populated by Aboriginal Americans.
In 1846, the Hudson River Railroad was
built along the shoreline. Between the end of the civil war
(President Grant's tomb is in the park) and 1875 the land between the
tracks and the bluffs was acquired by the city and plans for a park
were commissioned from Frederick Law Olmstead, the chief designer of
Central Park. His plan (with numerous modifications) was implemented
between 1875 and 1900.
Between 1934 and 1937 a plan known as the West
Side Improvement was executed along the Hudson riverfront to double
the size of Riverside park to include the West Side Highway and the
railroad tracks (which were covered by a promenade). As such the
park is split in half by the West Side Highway, the main north-south
freeway on the west side (it's East side counterpart is the FDR drive
which runs along the East River).
Riverside Park's long, narrow shape makes it defy convenient
cartography, but here's an attempt.
Riverside Park Map, December 2007
Hudson RiverRiverwalk 72nd - 79th St.72nd Street Dog Run72nd Street Eleanor Roosevelt Statue72nd Street Track72nd Street Underpass73rd Street Meadow74th Street Playground76th Street Barge76th Street Basketball CourtHamilton Fountain76th Street Neufeld Playground79th Street Boat Basin79th Street Interchange80th Street North Lawn83rd Street: Red-Tailed Hawks82nd Street Cyrus Clark Memorial82nd Street River Run Playground83rd-91st Street PromenadeHudson Riverwalk (83rd St. - 92nd St.)83rd Street UnderpassWarsaw Ghetto Memorial84th Street Rock Outcrop87th Street Comfort Station87th Street Dog Run89th Street Soldiers And Sailors MonumentCrab Apple Cove91st Street GardenWest 91st Street Marine Heroes Tablet91st Street Playground91st Street Serpentine PromenadeDriftwood Art: Hudson Riverfront 96th - 125th Street96th Street Bridge96th Street Clay Courts96th Street Interchange97th Street PlaygroundCarrere Memorial100th Street Cherry Walk100th Street Firemans Memorial101st Street Soccer Fields106th Street Hudson Beach106th Street Mall107th Street Volunteer House108th Street Riverside Drive109th Street Skate Park111th Street Basketball Courts116th Street Overlook119th Street Tennis Courts120th Street Forever Wild120th Street StructuresGeneral Grant Memorial123rd Street Overlook123rd Street Sakura Park125th Street Amiable Child Monument125th Street Claremont Playground125th Street Riverside Drive Viaduct (BIN 2246660)125th Street West Harlem Piers135th Street Riverside Ramparts143rd Street Building148th Street Bridge151st Street Overlook and Gantry153rd Street Trinity Church CemeteryWindstorm - June 11, 2008
