Care was part of the original idea
The founding indenture provided not only for making the Park, but for maintaining it. Its instructions joined fences, planting and paths with an ongoing obligation to preserve the grounds and their improvements. Each of the sixty numbered surrounding lots was assigned a share of the expenses contemplated by the trust.
That arrangement did not eliminate the practical difficulty of paying for a living landscape. John B. Pine’s 1921 history describes repeated appeals by the Trustees for contributions when the funds available were inadequate.
A changing cost of care
For many years, Pine writes, the annual charge was ten dollars per lot. Around 1877 it increased to thirty dollars.
Meetings of the lot owners often took place in the Gramercy Park House. Debates ranged from funding to the uses of the grounds, including proposals for baseball, croquet and lawn tennis. Pine records Samuel J. Tilden and Cyrus W. Field joining appeals to preserve the garden’s ornamental character.
Distinct responsibilities
These are historical accounts of the Trustees and the surrounding property owners. They predate the Gramercy Park Block Association, founded in 1994. The Block Association’s work in the surrounding neighborhood and the Trustees’ care inside the Park have their own responsibilities and records.
Read the founding document alongside this chapter, or continue to the Block Association’s own history.
The practical side of a beautiful place
The Trustees maintain the garden today; the Block Association’s work serves the surrounding neighborhood.
Sources
Adapted from John B. Pine, The Story of Gramercy Park, 1831–1921 (1921), printed pages 4–7, 16–20.
- John B. Pine, 1921 · printed pages 4–7, 16–20
- Original Gramercy Park deed · maintenance provisions