Corlears Hook Park

I grew up on 345 Madison Street from 1955 to 1977. We played softball and baseball in the park all the time… but, it was dangerous, particularly from the mid 1960s to pre-​Giuliani. The gangs from north of Houston Street along Avenue D were trouble.

When i was a child we lived across the street from the park. It always had a special air. In the early fifties Eleanor Roosevelt spoke there in the Deco open air theater.
The dome of the theater was torn down (in the 70’s) and replaced with a simpler stage. Not sure if it is used. Was also a great place for concerts.

simple as it gets. a park with a lawn. from there you walk over the FDR to the east river ampitheatre and the east side walk along the river.
but not so fast — while you’re in the park admire the trees, i think they are elms — tall and fountain shaped on either side. the park is simple and unpretentious and barely used, and the lawns are gated off to discourage use. but this is a hidden gem simply because no one goes there, it is out of the way, there’s nothing else to do around there, no one knows about it, so it exists in a dignity not enjoyed by other parks.