The Gramercy Park Block Association was formed early in 1994, after Arlene Harrison’s younger son was brutally beaten by a “wilding” gang of about 20 youths outside their home on Gramercy Park. In an effort to make something positive come out of this incident, a large group of determined neighbors from every building on Gramercy Park joined together to establish the Gramercy Park Block Association: a grassroots, proactive community group dedicated to public safety, crime prevention, historic preservation, and quality-of-life issues.

Since that time the GPBA, an organization of 2,000 area residents, has become a powerful force in the Gramercy Park community and has received widespread recognition for its many accomplishments.

The mission statement of the Gramercy Park Block Association includes the following: To educate the population of the area known as Gramercy Park as to the safety and security issues in this historic neighborhood, and to bring about civic betterment in order to promote the well-being of those who live and/or work in the greater Gramercy Park area.

The Association works with Community Boards, historic-preservation organizations, the New York City Sanitation and Transportation Departments, and city and state elected officials on programs and issues affecting our area. Toward this end we have established the following:     

 • Advisory Board - A network of residents, board presidents, owners, and institution heads of buildings on Gramercy Park and in its environs to address critical issues.

• E-mail/Fax Network - Area residents who receive communications about issues that are of concern to them.

• Community Patrol - Regular meetings with building superintendents, police officers, sanitation workers, storekeepers, and residents to address local problems.

• Emergency Alert -A system whereby building personnel communicate directly with the police in the event of crime, fire, medical, or other emergency.

• Crisis Team - A coalition of area residents who work with the NYPD to assist their neighbors in emergencies.

 
• Armory - Led the neighborhood effort that defeated plans for a men’s shelter to be opened at the Armory on Lexington Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets. The shelter, whose population would have included Level 3 sex offenders, ex-convicts, and substance abusers, was to be open 24 hours a day and would have brought many thousands of these men into our area for assessment and prevention services.

• Traffic - Recommended measures to ease traffic congestion on Gramercy Park North and to prevent cars from plowing into the Park gate. These included new traffic signs down Lexington Avenue from 28th Street to Gramercy Park North and the desynchronization of the traffic light at Lexington Avenue and 22nd Street.

• Gramercy Park Hotel - Hold regular meetings with the Hotel management and the construction site supervisor to address the community’s quality-of-life concerns about the construction work being done.

• Kenmore Hotel - Held meetings that led to the 1994 seizure by the United States Justice Department of this crime-ridden hotel on East 23rd Street, the largest asset forfeiture in the history of the federal government. Mobilized support for Housing & Services’ $30 million plan that turned the Kenmore into a national model of affordable supportive housing.

• Recognition Ceremony for Police Officer Scott Kimmins - Organized 2004 event honoring Kimmins on the 10th anniversary of the takeover of the Kenmore, citing him for his dedication to the residents and by naming its lobby in his honor.

• First Amendment Rights - Led nationwide campaign in defense of area residents’ freedom of speech concerning a proposed local facility to house homeless, mentally ill former drug abusers.

• Trash Receptacles - Provided fifteen new trash receptacles around Gramercy Park.

• Sanitation - Hold regular meetings with the Department of Sanitation to improve area sanitation.

• Sewer Problem - Solved this sanitation issue at the southeast corner of Gramercy Park.

• Lighting - Increased the wattage of area lampposts and suggested additional building lighting.

• Noise - Addressed issues of horn-honking, car alarms and loud radios.

• Tree Gardens - Provided plantings for the tree gardens on the sidewalks adjacent to the Park.

• Park Shed - Worked to restore the existing shed in Gramercy Park.

• Newsracks - Reduced the number of newsracks in our area by reporting 130 violations.

• The Cobalt Club - Addressed quality-of-life concerns at this former Gramercy Park Hotel nightclub.

• Idling Buses - Eliminated this air pollution problem from in front of the Gramercy Park Hotel.

• X-Rated Businesses- Succeeded in keeping them from our neighborhood.

• Oversized Illegal Trucks - Worked to eliminate them from our local streets.

• Panhandling at ATM Machines - Lessened Addressed aggressive panhandling.

• Sidewalk Bike Riders - Worked to lessen this problem.

• Disco on Park Avenue South at 20th Street - Supported successful effort to keep from our area.

• Modern Steel Telephone Booths- Supported successful drive to keep additional ones from Irving Place.

• M1 Bus - Worked to ensure its continued service to our area.

• Eden Farms Grocery - Worked to reopen this popular Third Avenue store.

• West Nile Virus - Distributed information about preventive measures.

• Drug Activity - Developed a successful plan to combat illegal drug activity and related neighborhood crime.

• Graffiti - Organized a successful Initiated effort to remove graffiti from in our neighborhood.

• Police Parking - Addressed issue of police vehicles parking on Gramercy Park.

• Wall of Honor - Led a fund-raising campaign to Honor the memory of Precinct officers killed in the line of duty.

• Police Officer Anthony Sanchez Way - Led a successful effort to name the 13th Precinct block in honor of the slain officer.

• Community Bike Patrol - Purchased bicycles for the 13th Precinct to patrol the area.

• Project Kidcare - Provided children’s identification kits for neighborhood families.

• 13th Precinct Visits - Organize visits by our neighborhood children to the Precinct.

• Ongoing Programs - Introduced to our community the following 13 th Precinct programs: Anti-Auto and Bike Theft, Apartment and Business Security Surveys, Building Employee Security Training, Operation I.D., Senior Citizen Escort, Blockwatcher Training and Safe Haven.

Helped both navigate the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s procedures:

• The former Sonnenberg Mansion, 19/20 Gramercy Park South

• Salvation Army’s Parkside Evangeline Residence,18 Gramercy Park South

Helped both navigate the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s procedures:  
                      
• The Brotherhood Synagogue, 28 Gramercy Park South                                 

• Calvary Church Restoration, 61 Gramercy Park North

• Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort - Sent more than 200 boxes of goods to the disaster area. Provided funds to furnish homes built by Habitat for Humanity.

• American Military Troops in Afghanistan and Iraq - Shipped hundreds of care packages.

• Honor The Fallen Memorial -Supported the project of a local veteran to honor soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

• Shut -In Helping Hand - Provide volunteers to support our homebound residents.

• Children’s Helping Hand -Organize community service projects for our neighborhood children.

• Coats for Kids -Collect neighborhood children’s outgrown coats to give to children in need.

• Toys for Tots -Having our children donate toys to children who are in local hospitals during the holiday season.

• Fundraiser for Young Neighbor with Leukemia - Organized event to help defray medical costs.

• Hospitality Committee -Organized to welcome our new residents into the neighborhood.

• Salvation Army Parkside Residence - Provide food for Thanksgiving Homeless Program.

• The Brotherhood Synagogue Homeless Shelter Program -Provide volunteers.

• The Parish of Calvary/St. George’s Food Pantry and Homeless Shelter Programs -Provide volunteers.

• Kenmore Hall - Conduct ongoing clothing and furniture drives and provide volunteers for holiday dinners.

• Edwin Gould Foundation for Children - Organized a partnership of local groups to build an uptown residence for young people exiting the foster-care system.

• Project LIFT - Support for New York Theatre Ballet’s dance scholarship program for homeless children living in city shelters.

• Community Improvement Project -Employed homeless and low-income men and women to carry out quality-of-life initiatives in the nearby business community.

• P.S. 40 Partnership - Worked to support the rehabilitation of the playground next to the school.

• Cabrini Medical Center -Provide support for their annual fundraiser.

• Scholarship Fund - Provide financial support for a local student in need.

• Police Officer Moira Smith Scholarship Fund - Contributed funds for scholarships for the children of police officers.

 • NYPD 13th Precinct Explorer Post 1313 - Contribute funds for uniforms and programs for teenagers interested in law enforcement careers.

• 13th Precinct and Emergency Service Truck #1 Meals - Provide food for these officers during holidays and emergency periods.

• Explorer Post 1313 Washington D.C. Trip - Sponsored a an educational trip for them to participate in Washington , D.C. during Law Enforcement Week.

In the months following the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster, the GPBA organized the following:

• Relief Effort - A round-the-clock effort in which area residents, merchants, restaurants, and hotels served meals, provided shelter, and distributed critical supplies to police,fire, emergency, and other support units from here and around the country.

• Neighbors Helping Neighbors Benefit - A benefit for the families of our local police officers who were lost at the World Trade Center .

• Project Health - Olive Relief - An effort to facilitate health services for emergency personnel who were stationed at Ground Zero.

• Prayer Vigil - A remembrance service at Calvary Church followed by a candlelight procession to the Brotherhood Synagogue.

 • “Kids Helping Kids” - A nationwide effort for children to reach out to the children of police officers lost on 9/11.

• NYPD Emergency Service Videos - A record of memories of their fellow officers who died at the World Trade Center, to be given to their families.

• 13th Precinct Memorial Garden - A garden planted by schoolchildren in memory of            those Precinct officers lost at the World Trade Center .

• NYPD “You Make Us Proud” - A photographic installation at the 13th Precinct showing our community’s relief effort and support following 9/11.

• Memorial Concerts - To pay tribute to those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center.

• Outdoor Spring Concert on Gramercy Park

• World Trade Center Remembrance Service

• A Walking Tour of Historic Gramercy Park

• Neighborhood Clean-up

• Distinguished Citizen Award

• Spring Golf Classic

• 13th Precinct National Night Out Against Crime

• 13th Precinct Crime Prevention Expo

• All Ceremonial and Memorial events at the 13th Precinct

• Christmas Parties for the Children of Precinct and Emergency Service Officers

• 13th Precinct - Community Breakfast

 • Family Holiday Event - New York Theatre Ballet's “The Nutcracker”

• Children's Spring Event - New York Theatre Ballet's “Mother Goose!”

• Gramercy Park Day-"Growing in Gramercy"
• Easter Egg Hunt
• Halloween
• Edwin Booth's Birthday
• Chanukah Menorah Lighting Ceremony
• Children’s Christmas Caroling
• Christmas Eve Caroling