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Gramercy Neighborhood Associates records

Call Number

PR 370

Date

1828–2009 (bulk, 1912–2009), inclusive

Creator

Gramercy Neighborhood Associates

Extent

7.25 Linear feet in 11 boxes 2 oversize folders.

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

Organizational records, subject files, photographs, stereoviews, postcards, books, pamphlets, periodicals, and maps documenting the activities of the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, Inc., a group formed in 1912 (as the Gramercy Park Association) to stop the extension of Lexington Avenue through Gramercy Park, a private greenspace laid out in 1831. That battle won, the association subsequently engaged in a variety of community service and preservation projects, such as sponsoring the annual Gramercy Park Flower Show (1947–1994), and replacing the neighborhood's modern street lampposts with historic reproductions.

Historical note

Gramercy Park, an approximately two-acre green space and surrounding neighborhood of the same name in Manhattan, was developed beginning in 1831 by attorney and politician Samuel B. Ruggles (1799–1881). Ruggles bought the land from a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, drained the marsh formed by the "Krom Moerasje" brook (its name, in Dutch, which meant "crooked little swamp," was anglicized to "Gramercy"), and offered 66 building lots for sale. Lot holders enjoyed exclusive access to the park, which today remains one of only two private parks in New York City. Early residents included Valentine Mott (1785–1865), chief medical officer of the Union army during the Civil War and the founder of Bellevue Hospital; lawyer and diarist George Templeton Strong (1820–1875); and James Harper (1795–1869), publisher and 65th mayor of the City of New York (1844–1845).

Gramercy Park proper occupies a site between East 20th and East 21st Streets (a.k.a. Gramercy Park South and Gramercy Park North, respectively), midway between Third Avenue and Park Avenue South. A proposed bill to extend Lexington Avenue south through the park to join Irving Place prompted the formation in 1912 of the Gramercy Park Association (not to be confused with the older "Trustees of Gramercy Park," which first met in 1844 to oversee access to and maintenance of the park, or the "Gramercy Neighborhood Association," an anti-vice organization active circa 1913). The Gramercy Park Association successfully stopped the Lexington Avenue extension bill, thus maintaining the park's rectangular layout. That battle won, the association subsequently engaged in a variety of community service projects, such as the annual Gramercy Park Flower Show (1947–1994), and the replacement of the neighborhood's modern lampposts with historic reproductions of the bishop's crook design. In 1966, to qualify for tax exemption as a charitable organization under New York State law, the Gramercy Park Association incorporated as the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, Inc. (GNA). The GNA remains "dedicated to enhancing the aesthetic qualities and historic character of the Gramercy neighborhood and to developing a sense of community" through partnerships with area schools and local businesses. For information on current initiatives, visit gnaonline.org.

Arrangement

The collection organized in seven series:

Series I.
Organizational records, 1911–2009
Series II.
Subject files, 1831–2004
Series III.
Gramercy Park Flower Show, 1947–1994
Series IV.
Images, 1828–2000
Series V.
Print matter, 1894–2009
Series VI.
Maps, 1831–1953, undated
Series VII.
Material from the Trustees of Gramercy Park and Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, 1831–1956

Scope and Contents

The collection includes material generated and assembled by Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, Inc. (known before 1966 as the Gramercy Park Association), such as organizational records (1911–2009), subject files (1831–2004), documentation of the annual Gramercy Park Flower Show (1947–1994), images (1828–2000), books, pamphlets, and periodicals (1894–2009), and maps (1831–1953).

The organizational records include scattered meeting minutes, annual reports, committee, secretary, and treasurer reports, correspondence, by-laws, notices, invitations, fliers, and blank stationery. The subject files cover Gramercy Park proper, the surrounding neighborhood, its architecture, notable residents, and businesses. The Gramercy Park Flower Show, first held in 1947 and running annually as late as 1994, is represented by advertisements, brochures, internal memos and correspondence, invitations, newspaper clippings, and posters. The collection's images—consisting of photographs (many are copy prints), stereoviews, and postcards—capture Gramercy Park and other areas of Manhattan, mainly south of 23rd Street. Of particular note is a set of color photographs documenting cleanup efforts by Consolidated Edison after a steam pipe explosion released a cloud of asbestos over the neighborhood on August 19, 1989. Books and pamphlets about the park and neighborhood—most factual, but some fictional, like Victoria Thompson's Murder on Gramercy Park: A Gaslight Mystery (2001)—are supplemented by runs of local periodicals, namely the Gramercy Graphic (1954–1967), Gramercy Herald (1970–1985), Gramercy Neighborhood News (1988–1990), Gramercy: The Newsletter for the Gramercy Neighborhood (1991–1993), Gramercy Neighborhood Associates (1997), Gramercy Gazette (1997–2009), and the New York Chronicle (1987–1999), which carried contributions by longtime Gramercy Neighborhood Associates archivist Stephen Garmey in its pages. A series of original and reproduction maps of the neighborhood completes the collection.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers by appointment only.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions.

Preferred Citation

The collection should be cited as the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates Records, PR 370, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Credit Line (for exhibitions): Gift of the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates, 2017, 2019.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Gramercy Neighborhood Associates in two parts: accession PPAC-2017-064 (received September 2017) and accession PPAC-2019-016 (received March 2019). Some of the items in Series VII were received on loan or deposit from the Trustees of Gramercy Park and/or the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates (then called the Gramercy Park Association) in 1949. For details, see the notes inside Box 11.

Related Materials

Researchers interested in the Gramercy Park Flower Show (see Series III) may also wish to consult the Horticultural Society of New York Records, 1811-circa 2010 (MS 3033).

Collection processed by

Zora Arum (2018) and Joseph Ditta (2020–2021)

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:21 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

Archival intern Zora Arum processed this collection's initial accession of eight books and nine folders of photographs (PPAC-2017-064) in September 2018. Archivist Joseph Ditta revised her finding aid to incorporate the subsequent, larger accession (PPAC-2019-016) in December 2020-January 2021, and added the material in Series VII in December 2021.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024