| Sakura Park | |
|---|---|
 Looking downtown, the gazebo in the foreground and the tower of Riverside Church behind it | |
 Interactive map of Sakura Park | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Manhattan,New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°48′47″N73°57′44″W / 40.81306°N 73.96222°W /40.81306; -73.96222 |
| Area | 2.067 acres (0.836 ha) |
| Operated by | NYC Parks |
| Status | Open all year |
| Public transit access | Subway: to125th StreetBus:M4,M5,M11,M60 SBS,M104 |
Sakura Park is apublic park located in theMorningside Heights neighborhood inManhattan,New York City, north ofWest 122nd Street betweenRiverside Drive andClaremont Avenue.[1] Situated betweenRiverside Church on the south, theManhattan School of Music on the east,Grant's Tomb andRiverside Park on the west, andInternational House on its northern side, it is operated by theNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks).
The park was originally calledClaremont Park afterClaremont Avenue, which runs on its east side. The land, originally owned byJohn D. Rockefeller, was purchased by theCity of New York in 1896 for use as an extension ofRiverside Park.[2][3] In 1909, the Committee of Japanese Residents of New York donated 2,500cherry blossom trees to the city, to commemorate theHudson–Fulton Celebration. Only 700 trees arrived at Claremont Park, as the steamship carrying the trees had been lost at sea and most of the plants began to rot. In 1912, three years after its scheduled arrival, the surviving trees were planted in Riverside Park andCentral Park, as well as the area surrounding Sakura Park.[4][5][6] The park was subsequently renamed Sakura Park.[3][7]
As part of the construction of adjacentRiverside Church, Sakura Park underwent landscaping with $350,000 in funds fromJohn D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1932.[8] The renovation was completed two years later.[9]
In 1960, another gift was given to the park, this time by theCity of Tokyo in the form of a stone lantern (tōrō), when New York City became hersister city. The then Crown Prince, and laterEmperor of Japan,Akihito, was in attendance during the official dedication on October 10 of that year. Crown Prince Akihito would later rededicate the lantern with hisprincess in 1987.[10]
GeneralDaniel Adams Butterfield, author of the bugle call,Taps, which is a standard component for concluding for US military funerals, stands on a rock pedestal as a larger-than-life-sized bronze statue byGutzon Borglum—who is said to have been so annoyed by commissioning committees numerous demands for changes to the sculpture, that he marked his signature on the top of the general's head, claiming that this was the single aspect the committee had not required him to change.[citation needed] The statue is oriented such that it facesGrant's Tomb across Riverside Drive and thus it appears Butterfield is looking at the tomb of his fellow Civil War general and the president in whose cabinet he served as the AssistantTreasurer of the United States.
The landscaping is dominated by two walks lined with mature linden trees, the branches meet overhead forming a leafy arcade. Between the two walks is a lawn, headed by a gazebo and planted with cherry trees. When the cherry trees bloom, people of Japanese ancestry come to celebrateHanami and spread picnic blankets under the trees. The cherry bloom is preceded in spring by bulbs, beginning with snowdrops and continuing through tulips.
Directly to the east isClaremont Avenue, which is dramatically lower in elevation. Abuttressedretaining wall extends the length of the park along Claremont Avenue. The wall is an ivy-festooned copy ofKenilworth Abbey's wall inEngland. It was built in the 1930s by theOlmsted Brothers firm as part of a park redesign.[11]
Media related toSakura Park at Wikimedia Commons| Parks and recreation |   | ||||
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See also:Manhattan Community Board 9 | |||||
