Richard Toussaint Pathway

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

What was here before? 
East Harlem was heavily industrial in the late 1800s to early 1900s. In 1894, the Harlem River Speedway opened for horse-drawn carriages and horseback riders. The roadway opened to motorists in 1919 and eventually paved in 1922, at which time it was renamed Harlem River Driveway from 1951 to 1962. The modernized roadway was later renamed Harlem River Drive.

How did this site become a pathway?
This waterfront area remained undeveloped after the construction of Harlem River Drive. It was mapped as a public park in 1965 but the Department of Citywide Administrative Services did not formally transfer it to NYC Parks until 2001. This section of Harlem River Park opened in 2002 with pedestrian and bicycle paths. 

Who is this pathway named for?
In 2021, as part of the second phase of NYC Parks’ initiative to expand the representation of African Americans honored in parks, this pathway was named for community advocate whose determination transformed this area, Richard Patrice Toussaint (1944-2015).

Toussaint was a Central Harlem native who graduated from The High School of Fashion Industries before enrolling in Borough of Manhattan Community College. He graduated from City College of New York with a bachelor’s in theatre and a master’s degree in education. After college, Toussaint was employed as a college counselor where he helped found a prison program for Rikers Island inmates and was also a mentor in the local YMCA, guiding young men in his neighborhood. Toussaint worked at CBS-TV as a cast member of the educational weekly show, “Learning Experience”. 

In 1990, during his tenure as Chair of the Riverton Tenants Association and chair Manhattan Community Board 11, Toussaint submitted his original design for development of the East River waterfront as a park from 125th to 149th Street. The plan was approved by the Community Board and became part of then-Borough President Ruth Messinger’s “Waterfront Task Force Proposal” in 1992. 

In 2002 the park reopened with new pathways for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, which were based on conceptual ideas that Toussaint presented in 1990.