The block the park is located on was originally obtained from Consolidated Edison in 1937 as part of the Queens–Midtown Tunnel construction.[1] Land for public park purposes was subsequently donated to the city in exchange for the taking of a portion of St. Gabriel's Park (now named St. Vartan Park) for an approach roadway providing access to the tunnel.[2][3] The park itself was completed in 1941 and shares the block with the large ventilation building for the tunnel.
To accommodate the construction of the south portal for the tunnel that runs on First Avenue adjacent to the United Nations headquarters, a 28-foot-wide (8.5 m) strip of land was removed from the western edge of the park to widen First Avenue in the late 1940s (the street widening also resulted in the establishment of two new parks on the west side of First Avenue between 41st and 43rd streets, which are now named Trygve Lie Plaza and Ralph Bunche Park).[4][5]
A bill naming the park after Robert Moses was signed into law by New York City Mayor Ed Koch on January 27, 1982, after the City Council had voted to name the park after him earlier that month.[6][7] Moses had advocated to save the asphalt playground on the western portion of the park from the development of a 45-story skyscraper on the site a few months before his death on July 29, 1981.[7][8][9]
The asphalt playground on the west side of the park was often used for roller hockey, and the East End Hockey Association had been organizing games at the site since 1972.[10] This asphalt playground was replaced by a synthetic turf field in July 2021 to improve existing parks due to the temporary loss of park space during construction of the city's East Side Coastal Resiliency project.[11] A renovation of the playground on the eastern side of the park was completed in 1998 and included the addition of Art Deco silhouettes of a dozen of Moses' projects along the fence.[12]
Land reclamation
There have been four attempts to take the park's land for building projects, three of which have been associated with expansion of the United Nations.
1960s proposal
By the late 1960s, the United Nations was facing overcrowding at its headquarters complex and was leasing office space in other nearby buildings, but intended to build a new office building to the south of its present site on the block between 41st and 42nd streets.[13] Near the end of 1969, plans were developed for an eight-story office building that would occupy nearly the entire block occupied by the playground, wrapping around the tunnel's ventilation building, and include a bridge across 42nd Street to connect with the remainder of the United Nations complex. To offset the loss of the playground, a new 3-acre (1.2 ha) park was to be constructed on pilings above the East River from 38th to 43rd streets, with the northern portion reserved for the use of the United Nations staff and the southern portion open to the public.[14][15][16] Additional office space for the United Nations was eventually added across from its complex on the west side of First Avenue at One United Nations Plaza and Two United Nations Plaza, which were completed in 1975 and 1983, respectively.[17][18]
Late 1970s and early 1980s proposal
Roller hockey players at the asphalt playground on the west side of the park in 2013
In 1979, a proposal was made by the city to swap the western portion of the park's land with private parks in Tudor City, enabling Harry Helmsley to construct a skyscraper on the site in exchange for converting the private parks in Tudor City into public parks (which Helmsley had planned to develop with buildings).[19][20] Helmsley had previously proposed a similar type of land swap to build a 50-story apartment building on the city-owned park at the northwest corner of First Avenue and 42nd Street (Ralph Bunche Park), but that plan ran into opposition from community groups and elected officials.[19][21][22] The subsequent proposal was approved by the City Planning Commission but was opposed by a number of groups, including the East End Hockey Association, which had gained the support of Robert Moses in their fight to save the park.[9][20][23] Although the proposal was initially supported by Mayor Ed Koch, he changed his mind when appraisals showed that the public parkland was more valuable than the private parks in Tudor City.[24] The land swap proposal was vetoed by the Board of Estimate in 1981.[7]
2000s proposal
In 2002, a proposal was made by the city to allow for the United Nations to construct a skyscraper on the western portion of the park's land that would be connected to its existing campus via a tunnel under 42nd Street. The new building would have been used as swing space during renovation of the Secretariat Building and would have subsequently been used by the United Nations as additional office space. The loss of parkland was proposed to be offset by the construction of a new park in the form of an expansion of the East River Greenway alongside the United Nations campus. This proposal was rejected by the New York State Legislature in 2005.[25][26][27]
2010s proposal
A waterfront esplanade alongside the United Nations campus has been proposed to offset the loss of parkland
The most recent proposal to take the park's land for a building was raised by the United Nations in June 2010. Under this deal, the city would then expand the nearby East River Greenway to compensate for the loss of this park.[28] On December 8, 2010, Manhattan Community Board 6 gave their support to this plan, providing that the esplanade was expanded.[29] In March 2011, the city gave approval to move ahead with a feasibility study for this project as part of Mayor Bloomberg'sVision 2020: New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.[30][31] If agreed by the city and the heads of both houses of the New York State Legislature, the United Nations Development Corporation could begin preliminary planning for a new office tower, which could be no taller than the 505-foot (154 m) tall Secretariat Building. The UN would pay the city at least $65 million for the park. The plan is opposed by some residents of Tudor City, which is across the street from the park.[32]
On October 5, 2011, the city and state reached an agreement to use the western portion of Robert Moses Playground for an expansion of the United Nations campus. In exchange, the United Nations Development Corporation would pay $73 million to fund the development of the East River esplanade between 38th and 60th streets.[33] To make up for the loss of parkland, the City will convert Asser Levy Place into parkland.[34]
^Zimmer, Amy (December 10, 2010). "East Side Park May Get Razed to Build New United Nations Tower". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on April 18, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011. CB6 passed a resolution on Wednesday supporting the UN takeover of Robert Moses Park as long as they get what they want in return. They know getting a replacement park won't be easy, and they don't want small pocket parks.
^Zimmer, Amy (April 14, 2011). "City Could Open Swath of East River Waterfront to the Public". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on April 18, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011. Rep. Carolyn Maloney secured $475,000 in federal funding from the Surface Transportation Program and state funding from the Department of Environmental Conservation for a feasibility study of the engineering, design, landscaping and other planning related to the new esplanade for her East Side district.
