Sutton Place Park - Manhattan, NY
Posted by: ODragon
N 40° 45.428 W 073° 57.616
18T E 587764 N 4512317
A small pocket park at the end of a street.
Waymark Code: WM59D8
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 12/01/2008
Views: 21
From the parks website:
Effingham B. Sutton (1817–1891), a shipping merchant and entrepreneur, was one of the few prospectors who succeeded in building a fortune during the California Gold Rush of 1849. In 1875, Sutton built brownstones between 57th and 58th Streets in hopes of re-establishing a residential community. By the turn of the century, however, the neighborhood along the waterfront had become neglected, suffering from poverty and blanketed with substandard tenement housing. During this era, the neighborhood was infamous for gangs of street toughs, known as the Dead End Kids, who congregated at the end of these streets before Sutton Parks were built. Stanley Kingsley’s 1935 play about the area, Dead End, inspired several films depicting the area and the gangs.
Sutton’s venture was saved by the arrival of the Vanderbilts and Morgans in 1920, which began the neighborhood’s transformation into a wealthy enclave. Sutton Parks were created in 1938 following the construction of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, which runs next to and underneath the properties. When the highway was built, some Sutton Place residents lost their access to the East River. The City built private backyards for them in compensation, and three of the five Sutton Parks are between these backyards. Today, the Sutton Parks are a series of five vest-pocket parks along the East River waterfront near Sutton Place. In 1942, Parks took over maintenance and operation of the “Five Parks.” In 1997, an Executive Decree renamed the properties for Sutton. The bi-level design of Sutton Place Park includes a sandbox and playground equipment, as well as breathtaking views of the Queensboro Bridge.
The park and its vistas of the Queensboro Bridge were featured prominently in Woody Allen’s Manhattan (1979). The park contains the Wild Boar statue, which is a replica of the bronze wild boar completed in 1634 by Renaissance sculptor Pietro Tacca (1557–1640) that stands in Florence, Italy. This replica, alternately known as Porcellino, is in fact a copy of a replica. Tacca himself modeled his boar upon a marble statue now displayed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Saturday, Dec 01, 2001
Name: Sutton Place Park
Street Location: E 57th Street
Local Municipality: New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
State/Province, etc.: New York
Country: USA
Web Site: [Web Link]
Memorial/Commemoration: Named for Effingham B. Sutton
Date Established: 1938
Recreational Facilities: Sandbox
Monuments/Statues: Wild Boar a copy of a replica of the renaissance Porcellino by Pietro Tacca (1557–1640).
Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): Wart Hog sculpture
Picnic Facilities: Not listed
Fountains: Not listed
Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: Not listed
Special Events: Not listed
Traditional Geocaches: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
One photo of the park that is a different view from the one on the page, and give the date and description your visit.
Add any additional information that you may have about this park. A GPSr photo is NOT required.