3 Midtown Parks Get Green Makeovers As Turf Replaces Asphalt

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Three parks on Midtown's East Side have now gotten a green revamp as part of the city's effort to make up for park space being lost through a climate change mitigation project.

Patch reported in July that Robert Moses Playground, a drab, gray space in Murray Hill, had gotten a new turf field after being covered by asphalt for 80 years.

Now, two more parks have received the same treatment: St. Vartan Park, which runs between East 35th and 36th streets, and Peter's Field, located a few blocks south near the Peter Cooper Village complex.

All three are part of the city's enormous East Side Coastal Resiliency project, the $1.45 billion effort to protect Manhattan against future sea-level rise. Since the project will temporarily take away some park space, the Parks Department is working to improve existing green spaces during construction.

The new fields are intended for passive and active recreation, like baseball and soccer, the city says. (Some residents have complained, however, that the projects took away space used for pickleball, rollerblading, skateboarding and more.

"We loved it the way it was," one neighbor wrote on Twitter following the Robert Moses renovations.

Through the same project, the city has also installed new turf areas at Tanahey Playground in the Two Bridges area; Little Flower Playground on the Lower East Side; and on Waterside Pier, which got a colorful makeover this summer.

Parks Commissioner Gabrielle Fialkoff called the turf fields "a win for the community" in an announcement on Friday.

"We’re happy to see that the new greenspaces at St. Vartan Park, Robert Moses Playground, and Peter’s Field are already well-used by parkgoers looking to play baseball or soccer, exercise, or just enjoy some time outside," she said in a statement.

Related coverage:

• Midtown's Gray Robert Moses Playground Gets Green Revamp
• Midtown Garden Reopens To Public After School's 20-Year Takeover