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Woman's League for the Protection of Riverside Park records

Call Number

MS 139

Date

1916-1938 (Bulk 1916-1931), inclusive

Creator

Women's League for the Protection of Riverside Park

Extent

5.5 Linear feet (11 boxes)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The Records of the Woman's League for the Protection of Riverside Park contain a variety of documents concerning the formation of the League and their activities regarding the preservation of Riverside Park and Upper West Side Improvement Plan. The collection contains correspondence, pamphlets, annual reports, clipping scrapbooks, minutes, cashbooks, and photographic materials.

Historical Note

Woman's League for the Protection of Riverside Park was formed in May of 1916 with the objective to protect Riverside Park from proposed landscape alterations brought forth by the New York Central Railroad Company and the City of New York. Upon its establishment in 1916, an Executive Board consisting of mostly residents from the Upper West Side was established. Mrs. Charles Austin Bryan was the founding President. The five founding Vice Presidents were Mrs. James M. Stewart, Mrs. John Clapperton Kerr, Mrs. Arthur Melville Shrady, Mrs. John Caldwell Coleman, and Mrs. William R. Stewart. Members and individuals supporting the League's mission and activities primarily resided in the Upper West Side neighborhood. By 1918, the League represented over five hundred members. The first luncheon of the League was held on May 18, 1921 at the Claremont.

In 1916, the League primarily advocated for provisions to protect the park from the developments of the Port and Terminal facilities of New York City. These developments were the result of New York Central Railroad Company's West Side Improvement Plan, one of the largest projects undertaken jointly by public and private interests in Manhattan. The plan proposed developments to cover the railroad north of 72nd Street, construct an express motor highway, and create an additional 32 acres of recreational space for the public. The City of New York and the New York Central Railroad Company reached an agreement on July 2, 1929 concerning the Improvement Project. The Improvement Plan was dedicated on July 18, 1934 and completed in 1937.

The League was engaged with many matters concerning the planning and negotiations of the West Side Improvement Project, especially with matters concerning Riverside Park. Large portions of records in the collection reflect exchanges between the League and representatives of the West Side Improvement Engineering Committee. The Engineering Committee included representatives from the Board of Transportation, the Transit Commission, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the Borough of Manhattan, the Port of New York Authority, and the New York Central Railroad Company. The League was successful in negotiations with the Park Department and New York Central Railroad Company for the construction of foundations and walls covering the tracks as far as 82nd Street, the restoration of the southerly end of Riverside Park, provisions for boating and recreational facilities along the river, the removal of shacks along the river front and coal pockets from 96th Street, and the paving of the promenade north of 96th Street.

The League was also involved in park projects that promoted civic improvement and environmental preservation. In 1926, the League dedicated the area of Riverside Park extending from 116th to 124th Streets as an area called the "Memorial Grove of States." The League planted 72 trees, a memorial tree to an unknown solider of each state in the Union, the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, in addition to planting 19 trees as a memorial to special patriots. The League also had an area in the park they referred to as the Bird Sanctuary. The League recorded the variety of migratory birds in the Sanctuary during its early years.

The League was involved in a variety of projects promoting the Park's significant role in the lives of children and residents of New York City. From the early days of the League, the League had an interest in the children in public and private schools, and the care and protection of the parks. Troop 599 Boy Scouts of America patrolled the Groves daily. The school children of public schools Nos. 54 and 179 planted trees in the park. The league encouraged children to make bird houses for placement in the trees in Riverside Park. They held birdhouse and poster contests. There was an exhibition of birdhouses and posters at the American Museum of Natural History, at the Columbia Yacht Club, and the Exposition of Women's Arts.

On November 18, 1938, the final meeting of the League's Executive board was held. The League's surplus funds were given to the Audubon Society for the care of the Bird Sanctuary and to the Park Department for the care of the Memorial Graves. The content in the League's records demonstrate the following two variants of the League's name: the Woman's League for the Protection of Riverside Park and the Women's League for the Protection of Riverside Park.

Arrangement Note

The records primarily reflect the original filing system of the League.

The records are organized in 5 series:

Series I: Correspondence of the Executive Board, (1916-1936)

Series II: Photographs (1926-1930, undated)

Series III: Administrative Books (1916-1931)

Series IV: Maps and Blueprints (1924-1932)

Series V: Newspaper Clipping Scrapbooks (1920-1936)

Scope and Content Note

The majority of records include correspondence and related ephemera concerning the activities of the League's executive board members, primarily Mrs. Charles Austin Bryan and Mrs. Helen Culver Kerr (Mrs. John Clapperton Kerr). The bulk of the collection includes correspondence and related documents that primarily address the encroachment of the New York Central tracks on Riverside Park, and the City of New York's Board of Estimate and Apportionment involvements in plans regarding the Upper West Side Improvement. The materials also include photographs of Riverside Park, and the League's activities in the Park. The collection includes two cashbooks, one minute book, and a variety of clippings scrapbooks of the League's activities and civic interests. Oversized materials include a variety of maps and blueprints concerning Riverside Park and the West Side Improvement Plan.

Subjects

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

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: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Woman's League for the Protection of Riverside Park Records, MS 139, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, Woman's League for the Protection of Riverside Park, 1938.

Related Material at The New-York Historical Society

The Woman's League for the Protection of Riverside Park also produced a number of additional records including clippings scrapbooks, minutes, and reports. These materials are separated from the material included in this guide and included in the general collections. The related materials are searchable in the New-York Historical Society's online catalog. For additional information, please contact New-York Historical Society library staff.

Collection processed by

Kathryn Kashmiry

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:41 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Processing Information

Processed by Kathryn Kashmiry, before 2011.

Repository

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