Morningside Park

Morningside Park is a 30-acre scenic landmark nestled along the dramatic, 100-foot-high cliff that divides Manhattan’s Morningside Heights from Harlem, stretching from 110th to 123rd Streets. The park’s creation was first proposed by Andrew Haswell Green in 1867, and its design and transformation into a public space were led by the renowned landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, with significant contributions from architect Jacob Wrey Mould. Completed in 1895, the park is celebrated for its rugged natural beauty, winding paths, stone staircases, and the iconic promenade and buttressed wall along Morningside Drive.

Morningside Park’s history is marked by its role as a retreat route during the Revolutionary War and the site of blockhouse fortifications in the War of 1812. It has evolved through various renovations and community-led efforts, including the conversion of a controversial excavation for a never-built gymnasium into a picturesque pond and waterfall in the 1990s. Today, the park features playgrounds, sports courts, monuments such as the Carl Schurz Memorial, and the Dr. Thomas Kiel Arboretum, all serving as gathering places for recreation and reflection in a ever-changing urban landscape. nycgovparks.org