Open Road Park

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Coordinates: 40°43′46″N 73°58′59″W / 40.72941°N 73.98304°W / 40.72941; -73.98304
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The playground in December 2020.

Open Road Park is a small park in

community garden and playground
. Prior to its use as a park, the site was used for many purposes that reflect on the history of the surrounding neighborhood.

Cemetery

In 1833, East 11th Street was regarded as the northern periphery of New York City and selected as the city's third Roman Catholic cemetery after the older burial ground at

Calvary Cemetery in Queens. For the following four decades, the cemetery gradually fell into disuse and was subject to vandalism.[2]

In 1883, the church proposed selling the property

New York City Board of Education and the Fifth Avenue Coach Company
.

Park

The eastern part of the property was developed as Public School 60, presently East Side Community High School; and Mary Help of Christians Church, which stood until 2013.[8][9] The rest was developed as a garage for public buses. When the garage was demolished in 1987, it left a contaminated vacant lot that was sought by Open Road as a potential park. In 1993, with funding from the city Department of Sanitation, the nonprofit had the lot covered with a liner which was then covered with gravel, soil and compost in advance of its development as a garden.[10] Two years later, a greenhouse and turtle pond were constructed with the assistance of local high school students.[11] The pond receives some of its water though a bioswale design that collects rainwater throughout the garden. The northern two-thirds of the site was developed as a playground. With the support of Trust for Public Land, the site was purchased to save it from development.

Open Road Park was acquired by the Parks Department in 2003, continuing its development as a recreational space. In memory of the victims of the

USDA Forest Service.[12] In March 2015, with the support of the New York Red Bulls soccer team and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, ground was broken on a mini-soccer pitch at the playground.[13]

As residential development in the East Village continues to increase in the 21st century, the preservation of Open Road Park ensures that residents will have ample space for sports along with opportunities for students to learn about nature by actively participating in the maintenance of the park's garden. The playground includes basketball courts, a soccer pitch and swings.

Circa 2016, the garden was reorganized under the name East Side Outside Community Garden and incorporated a compost program run by Reclaimed Organics.[14] East Side Outside Community Garden is part of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation GreenThumb Program.[15]

References

  1. ^ “11th Street Catholic Cemetery” New York City Cemetery Project November 14, 2010
  2. ^ “Historical Records and Studies, Volume I” United States Catholic Historical Society, 1900 Pages 370, 375, 375.
  3. ^ “Excited Roman Catholics: The Proposed Removal of Dead Bodies from a Cemetery,”New York Times Jan 4, 1883
  4. ^ “Selling the Graves,” New York Herald Jan. 5, 1883
  5. ^ “The Cathedral Cemetery Case,” New York Times Jun 5, 1883
  6. ^ “Catholics to Abandon East Side Cemetery,” New York Times Feb 3, 1907
  7. ^ “Sell Old Catholic Cemetery at Last,” New York Times Nov 7, 1912
  8. ^ “Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site” EV Grieve Blog May 23, 2013
  9. ^ “Demolishing the 96-year-old Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church” EV Grieve Blog August 7, 2013
  10. ^ Open Road Timeline 2011
  11. ^ development 1996
  12. ^ USDA Living Memorials Project Final Report April 2005 Page 11
  13. ^ "NY Red Bulls Sponsor New Soccer 'Mini Pitch' in the Old Open Road Park on 12th Street".
  14. ^ "The Garden".
  15. ^ "Find Your Community Garden : NYC Parks GreenThumb".

40°43′46″N 73°58′59″W / 40.72941°N 73.98304°W / 40.72941; -73.98304

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