Meet the Carl Schurz Park Conservancy
Carl Schurz Park, a public park in the New York City Parks and Recreation system, has benefited from its private nonprofit benefactor, the Carl Schurz Park Conservancy, for over forty years.
The mission of the Carl Schurz Park Conservancy, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, is to restore and beautify Carl Schurz Park, complementing the efforts of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Our goal is to enhance the public's enjoyment and involvement in the Park. The Conservancy organizes volunteers to execute its projects and sponsors community events that are open to all.
Carl Schurz Park Conservancy is responsible for a multitude of things that make our Park a better, greener, healthier, safer, cleaner, happier, more peaceful place. Such as...
- The Conservancy spends thousands of dollars every year pruning and caring for the trees of the Park
- The Conservancy pays the salary of a seasonal gardener and two summer interns
- The Conservancy funds all lawn maintenance for the Park
- The Conservancy organizes volunteers to garden in the Park, present cherished community events and help manage the operations of the organization
Truth Be Told :: Interesting Facts & Historical Details
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Before becoming East River Park in the 1870’s, the land which makes up Carl Schurz Park had been the site of farmhouses, country estates, and a ferry terminal. A Dutch farmer named Sybout Claesen was the first recorded owner, acquiring a deed from the Dutch East India Company dating back to 1646. Claesen called it Hoorn’s Hook, in honor of Hoorn, Holland, his place of birth. In 1770, a loyalist named Jacob Walton purchased the property and built a mansion which was seized during the American Revolution. The Continental Army built a fort known as Thompson’s Battery strategically overlooking the waters of Hell Gate. After the war, Archibald Gracie, a shipping merchant from Scotland, bought the property and built his mansion as a country retreat. Read more…
What's Doing?
Summer in Carl Schurz Park is not far of! Open air concerts, loads of playground events and the Conservancy's SUNSET FILM FESTIVAL. This year, we salute "Fathers and Sons": FINDING NEMO and INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE.
"Why I Pitch In"
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Volunteer Jill Byatt
“After I retired from my job on Wall Street I wanted to involve myself in something a bit more relaxing,” said Jill Byatt, ‘volunteer of all trades’ for the Conservancy.
“I volunteered a little for this and then a little for that,” she added, recalling her work for the Gracie Square Art Show, the Holiday Tree Lighting and the Gardening committee. Finding that Work in the Dirt suited her best, she flung herself without reserve into regular volunteer gardening in the Peter Pan area. Read more…
A SPECIAL WAY TO HELP YOUR PARK: THE CONSERVANCY'S 'BENCH PLAQUE PROGRAM'
Support the Carl Schurz Park Conservancy and honor someone close by ordering a Park bench plaque. Your plaque can contain appoximately 20 words. And you can pick the bench of your choice. Please call the Conservancy Office at 646-781-9100, ext. 5. We'll tell you all about it.