Sutton Parks

Sutton Place Park is a collection of small, quiet riverside spaces that exist because of a massive infrastructure project from the nineteen thirties. When the city built the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive along the East River, it cut off many residents from the waterfront. In compensation for losing their direct access to the river, the city established these vest pocket parks to serve as landscaped terraces for the neighborhood. While they are now open to everyone, their design remains intimate and restrained, reflecting the private, residential character of the streets surrounding them.