New Park Space Opens On Upper East Side Esplanade

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — City officials celebrated the addition of green space to the Upper East Side's East River Esplanade.

Upper East Siders are now able to access a riverside lawn at Andrew Haswell Green Park complete with seating, game tables and great views of the East River and Queensboro Bridge. The new park is shaded by an Alice Aycock sculpture “East River Roundabout."

Construction for the new $4.6 million lawn was funded on the local, state and federal levels, officials said at a ribbon cutting ceremony. The city Parks Department acquired the East 60th Street and York Avenue site in 2007. At the time, Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver was a designer on the project to turn the mostly-industrial space into green space for the Upper East Side.

“A unique location, this latest addition to the greenery on the Upper East Side, will draw visitors looking for a place to relax and appreciate the city scene from a new vantage point," Silver said in a statement.

Andrew Haswell Green Park is a multi-phase project, officials said during a ribbon cutting ceremony. In 2008, the park was opened solely as a dog run. In fall of 2018, the Parks Department will begin the next phase of the project, which will add sloping lawns overlooking the East River and a reconstructed esplanade to the park, officials said.

"We are rebuilding the East River Esplanade block by block, street by street and park by park," said City Councilman Ben Kallos said in statement. "The completion of Andrew Haswell Green Park phase 2A represents more open green space for the residents of the East Sixties. Thank you to the New York City Parks Department for their dedication and commitment to getting this park open. East Siders will now be able to enjoy it and its wonderful views of the river"

Photos by Patch