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Keeping Gramercy Park Clean, Quiet and Empty
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 19, 2008
Modified Jun 20, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 19, 2008
Modified Jun 20, 2008
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Meet Arlene Harrison, the self-described “Mayor of Gramercy Park.” She’s the one to talk to if undesirables are spotted infiltrating the private oasis, which requires a key for entry and exit, as two women recently discovered when a maintenance worker ejected them during their Saturday picnic. How did he know they were not quite the right material? They were probably breaking the rules by enjoying the park.
Harrison, who runs the Gramercy Park Block Association, would never enter it for such crass purposes. The Times spent a snobby day with her as she made her daily 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. rounds to confer with the supers and property owners who hold coveted keys to Manhattan’s only private park. She explains that she rejected a proposed playground because it's "too much wear and tear. The children who grow up here learn to use their imagination." And the park should be used (enjoyed?) as little as possible because it “was always an ornamental park...like a hotel room with a view of the ocean.”
Besides outlawing Frisbees, soccer balls, and other imagination-impeding devices, the profile goes on to detail a bitter feud between Harrison and the president of the National Arts Club, whose “populist agitations” would turn the fastidiously manicured park into a place for parties and dancing. Not on Harrison’s watch – she started the block association in 1994 after her son was violently mugged in front of her building. Which speaks volumes about her crusade to impose a bit of flawless order on an always unpredictable city.
Tagged
Arlene Harrison
gramercy park
manhattan
national arts club
private park
rules
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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