3. Septuagesimo Uno Park is one of the smallest parks in NYC
Septuagesimo Uno Park, Latin for “seventy-first,” is one of the smallest parks in New York, measuring just 0.04 acres. Although there are smaller parks across the city, including various triangles throughout the five boroughs, this park features lots of greenery, a central walkway, some benches, and … not much else. The Commissioners Plan of 1811 did not take into account park acreage for recreation, so by the 1960s, land was becoming extremely scarce. Mayor John V. Lindsay began a campaign in support of “vest-pocket parks,” constructed on small vacant lots often between two buildings.
The park, which received a renovation in 2000, was first called “71st Street Plot,” but was renamed around the turn of the century. The park wasn’t officially opened by the Parks Department until May 1981. In an article from 2013, Untapped called the park “a forgotten dead-end alley that has been reclaimed by Mother Nature.” In addition to this park, check out other quaint secluded gardens, including the Lotus Garden, West 87th Street Garden, and the West Side Community Garden.