Sutton Place Park

Establishing a model for future public-private partnerships, Sutton Place Park creates a

10,000 square foot waterfront public park atop a roof deck over the FDR highway with

dramatic views of the East River.

The project resolves a 10-year boundary dispute, including litigation, between New York

City and a private cooperative apartment corporation. As Project Leader, Dirtworks led

a multi-disciplinary design team that worked closely with legal teams for both parties,

representatives from various City and State agencies, City Council representatives and

numerous neighborhood community groups. The resulting design and Memorandum

of Understanding creates an innovative allocation of private and public land and a

cooperative approach to maintenance, security and funding.

Sutton Place Park completes a series of waterfront parks east of Sutton Place

along the East River. This new park, creating continuous parkland between 56th

& 57th Street, respects the private building’s architectural integrity and desire

for privacy and security while providing beautiful and much-needed public

open space for the surrounding community. The park seeks to connect the user

to the East River approximately 40 feet below both literally and figuratively.

A curved wall and an undulating pattern of granite paving recall waves and the historic

shoreline of the river. An ADA-accessible lawn and a variety of seating areas offer choices.

Sweeps of native plantings provide shade and year-round seasonal interest.

Location
New York, NY

Size
2 acre

Completion
2019