4. Duane Park (1797)

Duane Park, a 0.12 acre park located at Hudson and Duane streets in Tribeca, was the first public space acquired by the City specifically for use as a public park in 1797. The triangle of land was sold by Trinity Church to the city for five dollars, on the condition that it be fenced and landscaped as a place of recreation. The park and the adjacent street are both named after James Duane, the first mayor of New York after the Revolutionary War and prominent parishioner at Trinity Church.

The park is surrounded by beautiful, architecturally intricate 19th-century loft buildings, including one with a stunning skybridge on Staple Street. The park has been re-designed several times over the years. In 1990, after being severely neglected, the organization Friends of Duane Park founded to protect and contribute to the maintenance and restoration of Duane Park and other public spaces in the neighborhood.