East River Park

You are currently approaching a major waterfront destination that has defined the edge of the Lower East Side for generations. Before this park existed, the shoreline here was a rugged, industrial zone filled with warehouses and piers that served the city's coal and lumber trades. The transformation began in the nineteen thirties when city officials decided to replace these derelict docks with a massive, fifty-seven-acre public green space designed to provide relief for the densely populated, immigrant-heavy neighborhoods nearby. When the park officially opened in July nineteen thirty-nine, it was a pioneering urban project. It was the first time in New York City that a harsh industrial waterfront was fully reclaimed and converted into a dedicated parkland for the public. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia himself signaled the start of this transformation by taking the controls of a steam shovel to demolish the old Grand Street Ferry dock, an event that marked the beginning of a new era for this stretch of the East River.