Fort Tryon Park

Located at one of the highest points in Manhattan, Fort Tryon Park’s panoramic views of the lower Hudson River and New Jersey Palisades are widely considered to be the city’s most spectacular. Designed and constructed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.—son of the architect of Central Park—the park was created on land purchased by John D. Rockefeller in 1917. Featuring extensive walking paths and stone terraces, sloping lawns and meadows, towering trees and the distinctly designed Heather Gardens, the park has become a favorite spot for picnics, family gatherings and weddings.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Fort Tryon Park thrived, but by the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the park and its gardens had become neglected and overgrown, falling victim to years of accumulated garbage and invasive vegetation. One of the first of New York City’s public parks where Bette Midler began her cleanup and restoration efforts in 1995, NYRP—working with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation—removed debris, downed trees and uncovered and repaired paths that had been obscured under mounds of trash for many years.

Today, Fort Tryon Park also represents yet another successful outgrowth of NYRP’s initial and core mission to make New York City’s green spaces more accessible. The park’s well-used playgrounds and restored gardens and grounds attract thousands of neighborhood residents and visitors, year round.