Riverside Park: 79th Street Boat Basin – New York NY

City:
New York, New York City, NY

Site Type:
Parks and Recreation, Marinas and Aquatic Parks

New Deal Agencies:
Public Works Funding, Work Relief Programs, Public Works Administration (PWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civil Works Administration (CWA)

Started:
1934

Completed:
1940

Quality of Information:
Very Good

Site Survival:
Extant

Description

Located along the Henry Hudson Parkway, the 79th Street Boat Basin is a marina, restaurant and still popular Manhattan destination. It was built in the 1930s with extensive New Deal support:

“In a way, we owe the existence of the entire Riverside – Fort Washington Park complex to the 79th Street Boat Basin. In 1934, Robert Moses wanted to build a whole new park from 72nd Street all the way to the top of Manhattan but he needed to find the money. He already had funding for the Henry Hudson Parkway. Since the Parkway was to have an exit and entry at 79th Street, access ramps and an overpass or underpass were needed. He happened to remember that the Public Works Administration (PWA) had a fund set aside for such things filed under “Grade Crossing Eliminations”, which would pay for the material. Then, once he had the material he could approach the Civil Works Administration (CWA) whose purpose was to put unemployed people to work, but only if a very high percentage (like 80 or 90) was used for wages and not materials. Since Moses already had money for the materials, the CWA gave him enough money for “relief labor” to build the entire park.[1] When the Works Progess Administration (WPA) took over from the PWA and CWA in 1935, they went ahead with an underpass that was also a traffic circle, a marina, a parking garage, and a rotunda that included a restaurant.”   (kermitproject.org)

Source notes

https://kermitproject.org/newdeal/riversidepark/boatbasin.html Millett, John D. The Works Progress Administration in New York City, New York (Arno Press). 1978: 102. Caro, Robert A., The Power Broker - Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, Vintage Books (1974). NYC Parks Dept press release of March 2, 1940, announcing the opening of the 79th Street Boat Basin.

Site originally submitted by Frank da Cruz on July 13, 2014.

Location Info


West 79th St.
New York, NY 10024

Location notes: Located at the end of West 79th St. by the Hudson River

Coordinates: 40.785749, -73.98450

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