Tudor Grove Playground

E. 42 St. bet. 1 Ave. and 2 Ave.

Manhattan

Directions via Google Maps

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

What was here before?
This was once the site of Turtle Bay Farm, owned by businessman Francis Bayard Winthrop (1754-1817) and his family. It roughly extended from Third Avenue to the East River between East 40th and 49th Streets with the Manor situated by East 43rd Street and First Avenue.

In the late 1800s, the old estates in the area were divided into lots and developed. There were many slaughterhouses, breweries, coal yards, and tenements. New and updated housing developments such as Turtle Bay Gardens and Tudor City, revitalized the area in the 1920s.

How did this site become a playground?
In 1948 the City of New York acquired this park and other sites through condemnation to improve the approach to the United Nations. Both Mary O’Connor and Tudor Grove playgrounds serve as extensions to the open space provided by the Tudor City Green.

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