Midtown's Gray Robert Moses Playground Gets Green Revamp

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A playground in Murray Hill that was covered by asphalt for 80 years has been remade in green, thanks to a new turf field installed by the city.

Robert Moses Playground, which spans from East 41st to 42nd streets along the FDR Drive, has reopened to the public following the renovations, which transformed it from an asphalt lot into a soccer and softball field.

The project was part of the city's enormous East Side Coastal Resiliency project, the $1.45 billion effort to protect Manhattan against future sea-level rise.

Since the project will temporarily take away some park space, the Parks Department is working to improve existing green spaces during construction, and recently installed similar turf fields at Tanahey Playground, Little Flower Playground, and St. Vartan Park — all on the East Side.

Other improvements being carried out through the project include the colorful makeover of Waterside Pier and the planting of 1,000 new trees in Community Boards 3 and 6.

Sitting in the shadow of the United Nations Headquarters, the land that became Robert Moses Playground was purchased by the city in 1937 as part of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel construction, according to a Parks Department history. The playground opened in 1941, sharing its site with the tunnel's ventilation tower.

The playground was renamed for in 1982 for Moses, the city's controversial "master builder" who helped build the tunnel.

We have a ballpark. Lines are down at newly green, @UN-facing @NYCParks' upper Robert Moses Playground in @cbsix between 41st and 42nd Streets. #playball pic.twitter.com/KtB0BEvF0E
— Kevin O'Keefe (@KevOKeefe) June 24, 2021