Theodore Roosevelt Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, August 13, 2007

Theodore Roosevelt Park Is August’s Park Of The Month

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

Situated between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West and adjacent to the American Museum of Natural History, Theodore Roosevelt Park is named to honor the only native of New York City to serve as President of the United States. The park, which includes one of the largest dog runs in the city as well as a monument that honors Alfred Nobel, has been named August’s Park of the Month.

"Theodore Roosevelt Park serves as a place of rest and recreation for local residents, dog walkers, and museum visitors alike," said Commissioner Benepe. "Among its many features is the city’s Nobel Monument, which honors the accomplishments of Alfred Nobel and lists the names of Nobel Prize winners from the United States. The park’s winding paths, lawn, and benches provide visitors a serene setting to reflect upon the accomplishments of some of our nation’s greatest inventors, scientists, writers, and diplomats."

In 2003, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined the Consulate General of Sweden in New York to unveil the Nobel Monument. The site was chosen based on Theodore Roosevelt’s distinction as the first United States President to win a Nobel Prize (for peace). The Nobel Monument is a monolith with four sides of rough-hewn red Swedish granite. Beginning on the west face, a chronological list of the 296 American recipients of the Nobel Prize to date is inscribed. Space has been reserved to inscribe the names of future American Nobel Prize winners.

Thanks to the neighborhood group Friends of Museum Park, as well as local elected officials, Theodore Roosevelt Park has enjoyed many recent upgrades. Currently a $2.5 million project to rebuild the park’s perimeter walks and add more benches is underway, funded primarily by City Council Member Gale Brewer.

In 1807, the City of New York mapped the land now known as Theodore Roosevelt Park as a public park, but did not officially own it until it was acquired by condemnation in 1839. It was later assigned to the Board of Commissioners of Central Park (which served as a precursor to the Department of Parks, established in 1870) who controlled it as an annex of Central Park. In 1940 the State added a bronze statue of Theodore Roosevelt by sculptor James Earle Fraser. The park was known as Manhattan Square until 1958, when it was renamed Theodore Roosevelt Park.

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