Suggested reading lists
Start with the part of Gramercy that catches your interest. These six trails follow the people and choices behind the neighborhood’s everyday life.
Browse News & Letters →
How the Block Association began
A founding campaign, an early network and the relationships that shaped the Block Association.
- Begin with About usThe purpose behind the work.
- The founding of the Block Association · 1994Neighbors organize and speak up.
- The first yearEarly priorities become practical projects.
- Kenmore HallMeals, clothing and continuing support for residents.
Where that work leads today →
September 11 and its aftermath
Food, rest, friendship and the continuing work of remembrance.
- The neighborhood relief effortA chronology of the response.
- Rest and support at Olive LeafThe Kenmore Hall responder partnership.
- Music and remembranceThe vigil and the memorial concerts.
- Kids Helping KidsA connection with Ohio gives children a part to play.
- Support for the familiesThe November 2001 neighborhood benefit.
- The Wall of SupportNilda Mesa’s photographic tribute.
- E-MENColleagues preserve memories for officers’ children.
- The 13th Precinct Remembrance GardenThe 13th Precinct Remembrance Garden.
Read the 2026 remembrance letter →
Streets and trees
The people, gardens and repeated tasks behind a welcoming streetscape.
- Meet Mamadou and SaliouThe Clean Streets team’s 2022 story.
- Longer days, freshly painted fixturesThe 2025 work, in original photographs.
- Room for new treesMatching replacement planting to each site.
- The ArborScope tree inventoryThe beginnings of the perimeter inventory.
Explore Clean Streets today →
Historic preservation
Preservation at different scales, from architectural details to the effect of a major redevelopment.
- 5 Gramercy Park WestA porch, a stoop and the rhythm of the street.
- 36 Gramercy Park EastTerra cotta and a carefully restored roofline.
Explore historic preservation →
Community service
How neighbors’ contributions reach people who need them.
- The history of Neighbors Helping NeighborsThe wider network of practical help.
- The LIFT storyScholarships and mentoring documented in the film LIFT.
- A shared playgroundFamilies and professionals care for a public place.
- The Nazareth Housing donation driveClothing, furniture and supplies for families.
Explore Neighbors Helping Neighbors →
The Trustees’ care of the Park
Meet the Park’s caretakers and follow the work on its trees, planting and historic features.
- Ruggles’s founding visionThe earlier history of the square.
- Amando Flores, Park caretakerA portrait of the Trustees’ caretaker.
- Caring for the canopyPruning, root care and storm-damage assessments.
- A garden for the shadeThe 2024 moss garden incorporates wood from the elm removed in 2023.
- Restoring the Ruggles FountainNew stonework and flowing water again.
More from the Trustees’ stewardship record →
