City Renames 2 Harlem Park Spaces For Black New Yorkers

HARLEM, NY — Two park spaces in Harlem were renamed Wednesday in honor of Black New Yorkers, part of a citywide push to celebrate the city's Black experience.

Harlem Lane Playground, on West 151st Street along the Harlem River, is now known as Percy Sutton Playground, honoring the civil rights activist, attorney and former Manhattan Borough President who died in 2009.

And the small open space in Riverside Park at West 150th Street has been dubbed Ralph Ellison Plaza after the celebrated novelist and critic. A granite block bearing Ellison's name and a sculpture referencing his book "Invisible Man" were already in place at the plaza, which faces his former home at 730 Riverside Dr.

These two Harlem spots were among 16 sites across the five boroughs whose new names were announced Wednesday by Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver.

It follows a similar effort undertaken last fall, when the lawn at St. Nicholas Park and a playground on West 130th Street were renamed for James Baldwin and Langston Hughes, respectively.

Keisha Sutton-James, granddaughter of Percy Sutton, said in a statement that her grandfather "poured his heart and soul into the village of Harlem."

"From representing Harlemites in court to representing Harlem in Albany, and from headquartering our first radio station on 125th Street and Lenox to saving the Apollo Theater from becoming a church- and losing all of that rich history- he was devoted to his beloved home," Sutton-James said. "He would be elated to know that his legacy will continue to live on through a place where children will play and be free, and families will gather and create memories."

Other sites whose renamings were announced Wednesday include the Prospect Park Bandshell — now known as the Lena Horne Bandshell in honor of the pioneering actress and dancer — and Hell's Kitchen Park, which now bears the name of Lorraine Hansberry, author of "A Raisin in the Sun."

"These greenspaces and park facilities are critical resources in the communities they serve and we want to ensure that they bear names that inspire pride, encourage meaningful discourse, and represent the people it serves," Silver said in a news release.

Related coverage: Harlem Park Spaces Renamed To Honor Black New Yorkers