Parks

DeWitt Clinton Park

DeWitt Clinton Park, located between W 52nd and W 54th Street and 11th and 12th avenues was one of the first parks in Manhattan to be on the working waterfront of the Hudson River. It was named after DeWitt Clinton, who was the sixth governor of New York and was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal, which created a business boom on and around the Hudson.

The park originally started as New York City’s first community gardens in 1902. Children between the ages of nine and twelve planted flowers and crops and learned how to prepare their harvest.

Today, De Witt Clinton Park attracts many of Hell’s Kitchen’s residents, as it is the biggest city park in the neighborhood. The park contains many sports fields and basketball courts which attract the younger population, and is home to Maria Clinton’s Perennial Garden which attracts birds, butterflies, and all other kinds of wildlife. It is also home to one of several ‘doughboy’ statues, memorials to the young men who lost their lives during World War I.

Javits Center Green Roof

Atop the 840,000 square-feet Jacob K. Javits Center, the busiest convention center in the United States is a true hidden gem, a 6.75-acre green roof, which reduces heat gain, prevents approximately 6.8 million gallons of storm water run-off annually, and decreases the facility’s yearly energy consumption by about 26%. The second largest of green roof of its kind in the United States, it serves as a sanctuary for wildlife— home to 17 bird species, five bat species and 300,000 honeybees—and reduces energy consumption throughout the building.

From its high-efficiency, glass-encased façade to its advanced recycling practices and climate station, the Javits Center is on track to achieve LEED Silver certification by meeting the goal of exceeding New York State’s mandate of reducing energy and water consumption by 20% by the year 2020. In addition, the facility replaced its entire glass façade in 2015, as the building was previously one of the major sites of bird fatalities in the city.