Upper West Side in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
St. Gregory's Park
.231 Acre
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 30, 2021
1. St. Gregory's Park Marker
Inscription.
St. Gregory's Park. .231 Acre. This park takes its name from St. Gregory's Parish, founded in 1907. St. Gregory I (540-604), the church's patron saint, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from the year 590 until his death, and is best remembered for introducing Gregorian chant. The school (est. 1912) offers instruction from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade and occupies two floors above the chapel in the church parish. The fourth floor houses the rectory. The baseball legend Babe Ruth (1895-1948) was married in the rectory on April 17, 1929.
St. Gregory's Park lies on West 90th Street, nestled between the West Side Community Garden and St. Gregory's Church. The property faces the Stephen Wise Houses. Stephen S. Wise (1874-1949), a Jewish Hungarian immigrant, first became well known in 1929 for his efforts to reform Mayor James J. Walker's (1881-1946, mayor 1926-32) shady administration. Beginning in 1938, he helped lead the Zionist movement in the United States, and is considered one of the county's greatest Jewish leaders of the period between the wars.
Until 1993, St. Gregory's Park was the site of a demolished tenement and a neighborhood dumping ground. That year the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) acquired the land and allowed the Open Space Greening Program to begin construction of a park. Open Space is a subdivision of the Council on the Environment of New York City, a citizens' organization in the Mayor's Office that was founded in 1970 to promote environmental awareness and find solutions to environmental problems. St. Gregory's School, which had shown an interest in the property, agreed to maintain the park in return for Open Space's services in constructing the playground.
Though the property was transferred to Parks in 1997 it still serves as a playground for St. Gregory's School. The site contains a basketball court and play equipment with safety surfacing. Benches provide a place to sit, and trees provide shade. ,
This park takes its name from St.
Gregory's Parish, founded in 1907.
St. Gregory I (540-604), the church's
patron saint, was Pope of the Roman
Catholic Church from the year 590 until
his death, and is best remembered
for introducing Gregorian chant. The
school (est. 1912) offers instruction
from pre-kindergarten to eighth
grade and occupies two floors
above the chapel in the church parish.
The fourth floor houses the rectory.
The baseball legend Babe Ruth
(1895-1948) was married in the rectory
on April 17, 1929.
St. Gregory's Park lies on West
90th Street, nestled between the
West Side Community Garden and
St. Gregory's Church. The property
faces the Stephen Wise Houses.
Stephen S. Wise (1874-1949), a
Jewish Hungarian immigrant, first
became well known in 1929 for his
efforts to reform Mayor James J.
Walker's (1881-1946, mayor 1926-32)
shady administration. Beginning in
1938, he helped lead the Zionist
movement in the United States, and
is considered one of the county's
greatest Jewish leaders of the period
between the wars.
Until 1993, St. Gregory's Park was
the site of a demolished tenement
and a neighborhood dumping ground.
That year the Department of Housing
Preservation and Development (HPD)
acquired the land and allowed the
Open Space Greening Program to
begin construction of a park.
Click or scan to see this page online
Open
Space is a subdivision of the Council
on the Environment of New York City,
a citizens' organization in the Mayor's
Office that was founded in 1970 to
promote environmental awareness
and find solutions to environmental
problems. St. Gregory's School,
which had shown an interest in the
property, agreed to maintain the park
in return for Open Space's services in
constructing the playground.
Though the property was transferred
to Parks in 1997 it still serves as a
playground for St. Gregory's School.
The site contains a basketball court
and play equipment with safety
surfacing. Benches provide a place
to sit, and trees provide shade.
Location. 40° 47.378′ N, 73° 58.306′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in the Upper West Side. Marker is on West 90th Street east of Amsterdam Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 136 West 90th Street, New York NY 10024, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Public School 166 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ballet Hispanico of New York (about 300 feet
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 30, 2021
2. St. Gregory's Park Marker - wide view
The marker is visible here, mounted on the fence, immediately to the right of the entrance gate.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 30, 2021
3. St. Gregory's (located adjacent to the park)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 6, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 127 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 6, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
