Gramercy Park: New York’s Private Park in the Heart of Manhattan
Gramercy Park is a private park reserved for a select few residents of the neighborhood. A unique New York curiosity... best viewed from outside the gates.
What You Need to Know About Gramercy Park
- Gramercy Park is a New York park worth visiting. It sits between the bustling Union Square and the charming Madison Square Park. Created in 1831 on a former marshland, Gramercy Park is unique among all New York parks — it’s the only one that’s private and closed to the public. It’s hard to believe until you stand in front of the tall locked gates.
- In the middle of Manhattan sits an 8,000 m² (86,000 sq ft) park reserved for a select few. The park belongs to the owners of the buildings and houses surrounding it. To access it, you must live in one of the 39 residences and pay an annual fee of $350 per key to get a key that opens the park gates.
- Other visitors can only look through the iron railings. You’ll see plenty of New Yorkers walking their dogs or jogging on the sidewalk along the park, but few people actually inside it.
How to Experience Gramercy Park
- If you’re still reading and curious about Gramercy Park, here’s the one way in if you don’t know a key holder: The park opens to everyone exactly once a year, on Christmas Eve. If you’re in New York for the holidays, don’t miss this rare chance on December 24. The gates close again on December 25 for another year.
- One more thing: New York has a second private park. Sunnyside Gardens opened in 1926 in Queens and is also reserved for neighborhood residents.
