HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Paley Park ArticleNew York Architecture Images- Paley Park Page 1 of 3
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New York Architecture Images- Midtown
Paley Park
architec Zion and Breen
location 5 East 53rd Street, just east of Fifth Avenue
date 1967
style International Style II
construction Brick, stone
type Park
images
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11/7/2007
New York Architecture Images- Paley Park
Page 2 of 3
NY Walks
please send
me any NY
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Use of
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Submitted Into the public
recortJ in con onecion �wittr�
Priscilla A. Thompson
City Clerk
Itern
Located within Midtown's cultural district and surrounded by high-rises, this celebrated "vest-pocket" park is a
welcome respite from the sights and sounds of urban living.
Why It Works
A small vest pocket park in midtown Manhattan, the park was developed (and every detail considered) by the
person who paid for it, William Paley, former Chairman of CBS. Mr. Paley was involved in all aspects of
planning the park from its conception to the selection of just the right hot dog (which is still served at a
reasonable price). Featured in William H. Whyte's film City Places, City Spaces, the park is a success for
several reasons.
For one, it is located directly on the street so that people are attracted to look in and enter. It has good,
reasonably priced food, as well as moveable chairs and tables that let people be comfortable and have some
control over where they sit. A waterfall provides a dramatic focal point and a reason to enter the park; its
noise blocks out the sounds of the city and creates a sense of quiet and privacy. There's adequate shade in
the summer from the trees, though they allow a beautiful dappled light to pass through their leaves.
People that PPS interviewed in the park said that they liked it because they could be "alone" in a busy city
and it gave them a quiet, restful feeling. In reality, Paley Park is a quite heavily used place, but the movable
chairs allow people the freedom to sit where they choose. It is also very noisy - but the noise is white noise
from the waterfall.
History & Background
Completed in 1967, Paley Park is celebrated as one of the smallest manageable urban parks, and a prime 11.2 b0
example of a successful privately owned public space. The design for this 4200 square foot space, created
by Zion and Breene Associates for the William S. Paley Foundation, proves that in even a small space can $ q {}"
serve both a popular meeting ground and a place for relaxation and calm. Slightly elevated from street level, 4
the sidewalk blends with the park allowing for easy access from passer-by. The park's 20-foot cascading
waterfall, running at 1800 gallons per minute, creates a backdrop of sound that causes the city noise to fade
away.
The walls are covered with dense, green ivy and 17 honey locust trees provide a thin overhead canopy. The
park's wire mesh chairs and tables help to make it a popular luncheon spot. Paley Park has an intimate
relation with the street. Low and inviting steps and trees that canopy the sidewalk often influence passer-by
to stroll through the park on impulse.
Contact Info:
William S. Paley Foundation, Inc: 1 East 53rd Street, #1400, New York, NY; 212-888-2520
http://www.pps.org/gps/one?public_place_id=69
Felice Frankel and Jory Johnson. Modern Landscape Architecture: Redefining the Garden. New York:
Abbeville Publishers, 1991. ISBN 1-55859-023-4. SB470.53.J64 1991. discussion and photos, p191-197.
plan drawing, p192.
Lawrence A. Martin, University of Oregon. Slide from photographer's collection, September 1993.
PCD.3235.1012.0545.090. PCD.3235.1012.0545.084.
Walter F. Wagner Jr., ed. "In Midtown Manhattan a Small Park Located Where the People Are", Architectural
Record. August 1967. Vol 142 Number 9. p117. drawing of plan, p117. drawing of section, p17.
I ate two chili dogs in Paley Park for lunch last Friday. The concessionaire was friendly, and the menu was
wonderfully quirky ("I don't have any sauerkraut"). The park was nicely crowded, and somehow each
conversation was isolated from the next. My favorite activity was to sit and face the street, watching people
as they slowed down to gape inside, stop, double -take, keep walking, as if all of us inside the park were
playing hookey, and the passerby was tempted to join us, but then thought better of it. I think the thought
made both of our days better.
- Andy Wiley Schwartz (08/26/02 02:57 PM EST)
http://www.nyc-architecture.comfIVHD/MID141.htm 11/7/2007
New York Architecture Images- Paley Park Page 3 of 3
Paley Park spawned a number of other similar spaces in New York, also referred to as "vest pocket" parks,
but Paley stands apart. Its subtle difference --not mentioned in the text about the park, I believe --is the slight
elevation above the street, so one enters an outdoor room. One ascends a few steps and already feels a bit
removed from the urban din. Paley is really an ingenius space.
- felixpfeifle (11/03/02 11:29 PM EST)
I'm a wheelchair user, and when I went to Paley Park the other day, I couldn't access it because of steps. Is
there a way to get into the park that I'm not aware of? And if there isn't, why not? It's such a lovely park and it
should be for ALL the public.
- Jean Ryan (11/16/02 04:06 PM EST)
To Jean Ryan: There are ramps on either side of the steps. While I remember them to be steeper than
current code would allow for new construction, they seem wide enough and include rails. It would be terrible if
the ramps were useless for the wheelchair user.
- Felix pfeifle (03/11/03 04:52 PM EST)
Paley Park is a place I go in my head when I need to escape...since I live in Ohio. It was the most amazing
surprise presented before me. I will visit it every time I return to NYC! It's a tremendous space that has left a
huge impact on me, emotionally and intellectually with regard to the importance, value and purpose of our
living spaces.
- Katharyne Marcus (07/21/03 03:16 PM EST)
Paley Park's intrigue lies in what Tony Hiss, author of Experience of Place calls a "lovable object." This is
something we can talk about, describe, and ultimately give us a reason to return to in the future. A rippling
wall of water is just that element that we all are drawn to and bring us back time and time again.
- adam ravestein (11/24/03 12:08 PM EST)
The ramps on either side are totally unsafe and unusable for someone who uses a wheelchair. They are too
steep. Adding railings would not help. We would not be able to get onto the ramp and if we could, we'd tip
over backwards. It's not good to be shut out of such a tranquil oasis. I wanted to bring out-of-town guests to
the park this month because well be nearby, but not if I have to be on the outside looking in. I am going to
write to the William S. Paley Foundation, Inc. about access to this park for people with disabilities.
- Jean Ryan (12/05/03 11:53 AM EST)
I got engaged in Paley Park on January 24th 2003. My wedding is July 17, 2004. It was the most amazing
setting and a place my fiance and I continue to go to whenever we want to have a romantic moment. Paley
Park will always be my favorite place in NYC the greatest city in the world!
- Carol -Ann Grippo (01/15/04 12:14 PM EST)
Up through the early 1980's there was a college prep school on 54th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues
(Rhodes School - 11 W. 54th). Paley Park was one of the favorite lunch locations for students at Rhodes
during good weather days. And in early June every year the place would be flooded with Rhodes students
cramming for final exams while eating hot dogs and other food from the concession stand. It was a great
place to study for tests (or at least pretend we were studing for tests!).
- David Marlowe (07/06/04 02:42 PM EST)
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Submitted into the public
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item FKKE! on l I - 9 -o Z
Priscilla A. Thompson
' City Cleric
http://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID141.htm 11/7/2007