View source for Fort Tryon Park

{{Short description|Public park in Manhattan, New York}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Fort Tryon Park
| alt_name =
| photo = 2013 Fort Tryon Park main entrance sign at Margaret Corbin Circle in snow.jpg
| photo_width = 300px
| photo_caption = (2013)
| photo_alt = Fort Tryon Park main entrance sign
| location = [[Hudson Heights, Manhattan|Hudson Heights]]/[[Inwood, Manhattan|Inwood]], [[Manhattan]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|40|51|39|N|73|55|57|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| nearest_city =
| area = {{Convert|67.21|acre|0}}
| elevation = {{Convert|268|ft|m}}
| created = 1935
| designer = [[Olmsted Brothers]]
| etymology = Sir [[William Tryon]]
| operator = [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|NYC Parks]]
| status = Open all year
| awards =
| open = 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.
| hiking_trails =
| other_info =
| website = {{official|http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park}}
| publictransit = '''[[New York City Subway|Subway]]''': {{NYCS Eighth far north|time=bullets}} to [[190th Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|190th Street]] or [[Dyckman Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Dyckman Street]]<br />'''[[New York City Bus|Bus]]''': {{NYC bus link|M4|M98|M100|Bx7}}
| embedded = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed                   = yes
| name                    = Fort Tryon Park and [[the Cloisters]]
| nrhp_type               = hd
| location                = Bounded by 190th Street, [[Cabrini Boulevard]], 192nd Street, Bennett Avenue, [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]], [[Riverside Drive (Manhattan)|Riverside Drive]], and [[Henry Hudson Parkway]]<br />[[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]
| coordinates             = {{Coord|40|51|39|N|73|55|57|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline}}
| locmapin                = New York City
| built                   = 1935
| architect               = [[Olmsted Brothers]]<ref name=nycland /> ([[Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.]], James W. Dawson)
| architecture            = [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque]]
| added                   = December 19, 1978
| area                    = {{convert|66.5|acre}}
| refnum                  = 78001870<!--<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>--><ref name="NPS p. 1">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=1}}</ref>
| designated_other2_name  = New York City Landmark
| designated_other2_date  = '''[[The Cloisters]]:''' March 19, 1974<ref name="NYCL-Cloisters"/><br />'''Fort Tryon Park:''' September 20, 1983<ref name="NYCL-FtTryon"/>
| designated_other2_abbr  = NYCL
| designated_other2_link  = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
| designated_other2_color = #FFE978
}}
}}

'''Fort Tryon Park''' is a public park located in the [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] and [[Inwood, Manhattan|Inwood]] neighborhoods of the [[borough (New York City)|borough]] of [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]]. The {{convert|67|acre|ha|abbr=|adj=on}} park is situated on a ridge in [[Upper Manhattan]], close to the [[Hudson River]] to the west. It extends mostly from 192nd Street in the south to [[Riverside Drive (Manhattan)|Riverside Drive]] in the north, and from [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] in the east to the [[Henry Hudson Parkway]] in the west. The main entrance to the park is at [[Margaret Corbin]] Circle, at the intersection of [[Fort Washington Avenue]] and [[Cabrini Boulevard]].

The area was known by the local [[Lenape]] tribe as ''Chquaesgeck'' and by Dutch settlers as ''Lange Bergh'' (Long Hill). During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the [[Battle of Fort Washington]] was fought at the site of the park on November 16, 1776. The area remained sparsely populated during the 19th century, but by the turn of the 20th century, it was the location of large country estates.

Beginning in January 1917, philanthropist [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] bought up the [[Tryon Hall]] estate of Chicago industrialist [[C. K. G. Billings]] and several others to create Fort Tryon Park.  He engaged the [[Olmsted Brothers]] firm to design the park and hired James W. Dawson to create the planting plan. Rockefeller gave the land to the city in 1931, after two prior attempts to do so were unsuccessful, and the park was completed in 1935. Rockefeller also bought sculptor [[George Gray Barnard]]'s collection of [[medieval art]] and gave it to the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], which from 1935 to 1939 built [[the Cloisters]] in Fort Tryon Park to house the collection.

The park is built on a high formation of [[Manhattan schist]] with igneous [[intrusion]]s and [[glacial striation]]s from the [[Last Glacial Period|last ice age]]. The park's design included extensive plantings of various flora in the park's many gardens, including the Heather Garden, which was restored in the 1980s. Besides the gardens and the Cloisters, the park has extensive walking paths and meadows, with views of the Hudson and [[Harlem River|Harlem]] Rivers. Fort Tryon Park was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on December 19, 1978, and was designated a [[New York City scenic landmark]] in 1983.

== Geography and geology ==
Fort Tryon Park covers {{convert|67.21|acre}}. It is bounded on the west by the [[Henry Hudson Parkway]], on the north by [[Riverside Drive (Manhattan)|Riverside Drive]], on the east by [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] and Bennett Avenue, and on the south by the alignment of 192nd Street. A small section at the park's southwestern corner is located between [[Cabrini Boulevard]] to the east and Henry Hudson Parkway to the west, and is bounded to the south by 190th Street. The park is adjacent to [[Inwood Hill Park]] to the north and [[Fort Washington Park (Manhattan)|Fort Washington Park]] and [[Riverside Park (Manhattan)|Riverside Park]] to the south; all are part of the [[Manhattan Waterfront Greenway]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Fort Tryon Park |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park |access-date=September 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003013429/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park |archive-date=October 3, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The park offers views of the [[Hudson River]], the [[George Washington Bridge]], and the [[New Jersey Palisades]], to the west; [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] to the south; Inwood and [[the Bronx]] to the north; and the [[Harlem River]] to the east. The north–south [[Henry Hudson Parkway]] and [[Amtrak]]'s [[Empire Connection]] run alongside the western edge of the park.<ref name="NYCL p. 8">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=8}}</ref><ref name="NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=2}}</ref>

The park is built on a formation of [[Manhattan schist]] and contains examples of igneous [[intrusion]]s and of [[glacial striation]]s from the [[Last Glacial Period|last ice age]].<ref name="concrete172" /> The lower lying regions to the east and north of the park are built on Inwood [[marble]].<ref name="encnyc">Kuhn, Jonathan. "Fort Tryon Park" in {{cite enc-nyc2|page=473}}</ref> Outcroppings of [[gneiss]] and [[schist]] can be seen interlaid with the marble, as seen in the outcroppings at the park's edges.<ref name="Audin Quinn 2018">{{cite web |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/arch_reports/1818.pdf |title=Phase IB Archaeological Survey 4790 Broadway Block 2233, Portion of Lot 20 Inwood, New York, New York |first1=Michael |last1=Audin |first2=Rosanne |last2=Quinn |date=October 2018 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928221244/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/arch_reports/1818.pdf |archive-date=September 28, 2019 |access-date=July 28, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|55}} Fort Tryon Park also contains a large [[glacial pothole]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Geology and Topography |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/geology-and-topography/ |access-date=September 29, 2019 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143557/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/geology-and-topography/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The northern boundary of the park is formed by the seismologically active [[Dyckman Street Fault]].<ref name="concrete172" /> The fault creates a valley separating Fort Tryon Park from [[Inwood Hill Park]] to the north.<ref name="Torrey p. 10"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Geological History of NYC Parks |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/geology |access-date=September 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504193725/https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/geology |archive-date=May 4, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In precolonial times, a Native American road ran within this valley from the present-day intersection of Broadway and Dyckman Street to a settlement on the Hudson River.<ref name="Audin Quinn 2018"/>{{rp|56}} The valley formerly contained an inlet named Little Sand Bay, which flowed into the [[Hudson River]] to the west.<ref name="Torrey p. 10">{{harvnb|Torrey|1936|ps=.|p=10}}</ref> As recently as 1989, activity of this fault caused a [[Seismic magnitude scales|magnitude 2]] earthquake.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tworivertimes.com/issues/110318/news5.php |title=Could It Happen Here? Earthquakes In The Tri-State Area |newspaper=Two River Times |date=November 30, 1989 |author=Fennell, Ryan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719063143/http://www.tworivertimes.com/issues/110318/news5.php |archive-date=July 19, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sykes |first1=L. R. |last2=Armbruster |first2=J. G. |last3=Kim |first3=W.-Y. |last4=Seeber |first4=L. |title=Observations and Tectonic Setting of Historic and Instrumentally Located Earthquakes in the Greater New York City-Philadelphia Area |journal=Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America |year=2008 |volume=98 |issue=4 |pages=1696–1719 |doi=10.1785/0120070167 |bibcode=2008BuSSA..98.1696S |url=http://www.earth.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file/pressreleases/1696.pdf |access-date=September 27, 2019 |archive-date=August 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827073347/https://www.earth.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file/pressreleases/1696.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Could an earthquake hit New York City? History says yes, but not like 9.0 magnitude Japan earthquake |author=Shahid, Alihay |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/earthquake-hit-new-york-city-history-yes-not-9-0-magnitude-japan-earthquake-article-1.124761 |newspaper=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |date=March 17, 2011 |access-date=September 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927181057/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/earthquake-hit-new-york-city-history-yes-not-9-0-magnitude-japan-earthquake-article-1.124761 |archive-date=September 27, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Another valley separated Fort Washington from a hill to the east, which hosted [[Fort George, Manhattan|Fort George]]. This valley contained a stream,<ref name="Torrey p. 10" /> which was known as the Hessian Spring.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujAbAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA410 |title=Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York |author=New York (State). Legislature. Assembly |year=1915 |page=410 |access-date=September 22, 2019 |issue=v. 21 |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192103/https://books.google.com/books?id=ujAbAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA410 |url-status=live}}</ref> The stream emptied into Half Creek (later [[Sherman Creek (New York)|Sherman Creek]]), which in turn led to the [[Harlem River]] to the east.<ref name="Torrey p. 10" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://hiddenwatersblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/shermancr/ |title=Sherman Creek, Manhattan |last=Kadinsky |first=Sergey |date=February 8, 2017 |website=Hidden Waters |access-date=September 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922223346/https://hiddenwatersblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/shermancr/ |archive-date=September 22, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Site ===
The northern portion of Manhattan was first known to be inhabited by the [[Wecquaesgeek]] tribe of [[Lenape]] Native Americans,<ref name="NPS p. 8">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=8}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 1">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=1}}</ref><ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939">{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/history |title=Fort Tryon Park Highlights |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |access-date=September 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830014546/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/history |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Grumet p. 60">{{harvnb|ps=.|Grumet|1981|p=60}}</ref> who referred to the area around Fort Tryon Park as ''Chquaesgeck''.<ref name="encnyc" /> When [[Dutch people|Dutch]] settlers inhabited the lower [[Hudson Valley]] in the early 17th century, they attempted to force the Native Americans out, and some of the Wecquaesgeeks continued to occupy the area.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref name="Grumet p. 61">{{harvnb|ps=.|Grumet|1981|p=61}}</ref> The tribe had moved out by 1669, but continued to hold onto their land claims until 1715.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/newyorkcityinin00bolt |title=New York City in Indian possession |last=Bolton |first=Reginald Pelham |date=1975 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newyorkcityinin00bolt/page/20 20]–21 |access-date=September 22, 2019 |via=Internet Archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830220125/https://archive.org/details/newyorkcityinin00bolt |archive-date=August 30, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Torrey p. 11">{{harvnb|Torrey|1936|ps=.|p=11}}</ref> The Dutch referred to the park site as ''Lange Bergh'' (Long Hill), a name first given by Dutch settler Joost van Oblienus in 1691.<ref name="encnyc" /><ref name="Torrey p. 10" /> At the time, Long Hill was a heavily wooded area that was part of the town of [[Harlem]]. As late as the 17th century, wild animals could be hunted on the northern portion of the hill, within the park's present site.<ref name="Torrey p. 11" /> In 1711, Harlem's political leaders decreed that a road be built through the area.<ref name="NYCL p. 2">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=2}}</ref><ref name="Torrey p. 12">{{harvnb|Torrey|1936|ps=.|pp=12–13}}</ref> When Harlem was subdivided the following year, the hill was split into multiple smaller lots.<ref name="Torrey p. 12" />

[[File:FortTryonParkLindenTerrace.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|alt=Linden Terrace, a stone balcony located on the site of Fort Tryon|Linden Terrace, located on the site of Fort Tryon]]

During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the trees were cleared to make way for fortifications.<ref name="Torrey p. 10" /><ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="Torrey p. 11" /> At the time, Long Hill had been known as ''Mount Washington'', while an outcropping in the center of the site was called ''Forest Hill''.<ref name="Torrey p. 11" /><ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> The latter was part of a series of fortifications that lined the steep cliff within the park site, which was known by the Americans as ''Fort Washington''.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> The actual site of Fort Washington is less than a mile south at [[Bennett Park (New York)|Bennett Park]].<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="NYC Parks Bennett" />  The park was an ancillary site of the [[Battle of Fort Washington]], fought on November 16, 1776, between 2,900 American soldiers and 8,000 invading [[Hessian (soldiers)|Hessian troops]] hired by [[Great Britain]].<ref name="Torrey p. 12" /><ref>{{cite web |title=History of WaHI: Battle of Fort Washington |publisher=Washington Heights & Inwood Online |date=June 4, 2012 |url=http://www.washington-heights.us/history/archives/battle_of_fort_washington_35.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604193021/http://www.washington-heights.us/history/archives/battle_of_fort_washington_35.html |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 25, 2019}}</ref> Despite the American [[Continental Army]]'s strategic position at the top of Long Hill, they were defeated after holding out for two hours.<ref name="NPS p. 8" /> American soldier [[Margaret Corbin]] became the first woman to fight in the war and was injured during the battle; the southern entrance to the park bears her name.<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="NYC Parks Bennett">{{cite web |title=Bennett Park Highlights |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=6419 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215092951/http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=6419 |archive-date=February 15, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Torrey p. 15">{{harvnb|Torrey|1936|ps=.|p=15}}</ref> After the British victory, the outpost on Forest Hill was named after [[William Tryon]], the last [[List of Colonial Governors of New York|British Governor of the Province of New York]] (1771–1777). The British made improvements to Fort Tryon, using it as Upper Manhattan's primary defensive post, before peacefully withdrawing from Manhattan in 1783.<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="Torrey p. 15" /> The Tryon name persisted even after the British withdrawal, even as many other colonial place names were being expunged of their British influence.<ref name="NPS p. 8" />

As New York City expanded and prospered following the end of the Revolutionary War, the land comprising the park remained undeveloped, except for a few country estates.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The first of these was created by Dr. Samuel Watkins, founder of [[Watkins Glen, New York|Watkins Glen]], who took ownership of multiple plots in 1818.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="Torrey p. 15" /> Ownership of the Watkins estate passed to Lucius Chittenden, a merchant originally from New Orleans, in 1844.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="Torrey p. 16">{{harvnb|Torrey|1936|ps=.|p=16}}</ref> The Chittenden family owned the land until 1871. Part of the estate was sold in 1855 to August C. Richards, who built a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]-style stone castle called "Woodcliff", designed by [[Alexander Jackson Davis]].<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> Woodcliff was subsequently used as a summer home by General [[Daniel Butterfield]], [[Boss Tweed]], [[Alexander Turney Stewart]], and [[William Libbey]], whereupon it became known as "Libby Castle".<ref name="Torrey p. 16" /><ref name="NYCL p. 3">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=3}}</ref><ref name="NYDN-Gift-1917">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36266048/ |title=Fifty-Acre Gift of John D. Rockefeller to People Scene of One of Country's First Fights for Liberty |date=June 24, 1917 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |page=10 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192104/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36266048/fifty-acre-gift-of-john-d-rockefeller/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Another portion of the Chittenden site was developed by William C. Muschenheim, later an operator of the [[Hotel Astor (New York City)|Hotel Astor]], who built an estate called "Fort Tryon Terrace".<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> In contrast with the elaborate estates at the top of Fort Tryon, the plateau to the east was known as "Poverty Hollow" by 1851.<ref name="Rubinson Winter 1988"/>{{rp|23}}

Between 1901 and 1905, [[C. K. G. Billings]] combined Chittenden's, Muschenheim's, and Libbey's properties into a single estate. On the site, he built "Tryon Hall", a [[Châteauesque]]-style mansion with a swimming pool, horse stables, a formal garden, [[pergola]]s, and a winding {{Convert|2000|ft|m|-long|abbr=|adj=mid}} driveway leading from [[Riverside Drive (Manhattan)|Riverside Drive]].<ref name="Torrey p. 16" /><ref name="NYDN-Gift-1917" /><ref name="Gray 1996">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/22/realestate/monumental-remnant-from-a-1900-s-estate.html |title=Monumental Remnant From a 1900s Estate |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=December 22, 1996 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=September 25, 2019 |issn=0362-4331 |author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628073705/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/22/realestate/monumental-remnant-from-a-1900-s-estate.html |archive-date=June 28, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The mansion also contained boat docks on the Hudson River and a garage to house his collection of 13 automobiles.<ref name="Gray 1996" /> Billings lived at Tryon Hall until 1915.<ref name="Torrey p. 16" /><ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="NYDN-Gift-1917" /> Immediately to the north were Abbey Inn, a summer residence built on land that Willam Henry Hays had purchased in 1842, and another estate that Walter S. Sheafer, the state geologist of Pennsylvania, had bought in 1891.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="NYDN-Gift-1917" /><ref name="NYH-BiggestDeal-1917">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36265630/ |title=Biggest Manhattan Land Deal in Years |date=January 5, 1917 |work=New York Herald |access-date=September 23, 2019 |page=11 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192104/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36265630/biggest-manhattan-land-deal-in-years/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Acquisition and planning ===
[[File:Palisades and barge on the Hudson crop.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Panoramic view looking west from London Terrace. A barge on the Hudson River and the Hudson Palisades beyond, with the Englewood Cliffs campus of Saint Peter's University on the top of the Palisades|The view from Linden Terrace to the west: a barge on the [[Hudson River]] and the [[Hudson Palisades]] beyond, with the [[Englewood Cliffs]] campus of [[Saint Peter's University]] on the top]]

The philanthropist [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] had held an interest in Fort Tryon since childhood, when he and [[John D. Rockefeller|his father]] had taken walks in Fort Tryon.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> In January 1917, Rockefeller anonymously purchased the {{Convert|33|acre||abbr=}} that collectively comprised the Hays and Sheafer tracts,<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="NYH-BiggestDeal-1917" /><ref name="NYT-BuysTract-1917">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1917/01/06/archives/rockefeller-buys-5000000-tract-for-city-park-gift-john-d-jr.html |title=Rockefeller Buys $5,000,000 Tract For City Park Gift |date=January 6, 1917 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923140633/https://www.nytimes.com/1917/01/06/archives/rockefeller-buys-5000000-tract-for-city-park-gift-john-d-jr.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Shortly afterward, a ''New York Times'' article publicized the sale,<ref name="NYT-BuysTract-1917" /> and Rockefeller acquired the {{Convert|25|acre||abbr=|adj=on}} Billings estate for $35,000 an acre.<ref name="renner">Renner, James (2007) ''Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill''. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Arcadia Publishing. p.20 {{ISBN|0-7385-5478-2}}</ref>

In June 1917, Rockefeller announced that Fort Tryon Park would be given to the city on the conditions that it be joined to the existing [[Fort Washington Park (Manhattan)|Fort Washington]] and [[Riverside Park (Manhattan)|Riverside Parks]], and that the city maintain the park.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="Torrey p. 17"/> Rockefeller also donated land on the opposite bank of the Hudson to the [[Palisades Interstate Park]] in 1933;<ref name="concrete172"/><ref name="NPS p. 9">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=9}}</ref> that land would be taken over by the [[Palisades Interstate Park Commission]], which had operated the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey since 1900.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1917/06/18/archives/urges-park-extension-commissioner-ward-says-city-should-meet.html |title=Urges Park Extension; Commissioner Ward Says City Should Meet Rockefeller Conditions. |date=June 18, 1917 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923140634/https://www.nytimes.com/1917/06/18/archives/urges-park-extension-commissioner-ward-says-city-should-meet.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission's website, there is an often-repeated claim that the land in New Jersey was bought to preserve views from Fort Tryon Park; however, the Palisades land was purchased years before Fort Tryon Park was opened to the public.<ref name="Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey 1917 l920">{{cite web |title=An 'Oft-Repeated Anecdote' |website=Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey |date=June 13, 1917 |url=https://njpalisades.org/oftRepeatedAnecdote.html |access-date=March 15, 2024}}</ref> In any case, Rockefeller planned to run a ferry service across the Hudson River between Fort Tryon and [[The Palisades (Hudson River)|the Palisades]] on the river's western bank.<ref name="Torrey p. 17">{{harvnb|Torrey|1936|ps=.|p=17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36266005/ |title=Park Gift Link to Palisades |date=January 7, 1917 |work=New York Sun |access-date=September 23, 2019 |page=1 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192104/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36266005/park-gift-link-to-palisades/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Mayor [[John Purroy Mitchel]] was positioned to accept Rockefeller's offer. However, his successor [[John Francis Hylan]] ultimately did not accept the land, saying that the site had not been "improved". Moreover, the city had failed to propose a law that would have deeded the parkland to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="Torrey p. 17" /> In 1925, Hylan told one of Rockefeller's advisors that the city would consider another proposal to take the land and use it as a park.<ref name="Torrey p. 17" /> Following this, Rockefeller again offered the land to the city in 1926,<ref name="NYCL p. 4">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1926/12/29/archives/rockefeller-again-offers-city-a-park-mayor-to-consult-board-of.html |title=Rockefeller Again Offers City A Park; Mayor to Consult Board of Estimate on Accepting Billings Estate |date=December 29, 1926 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923140637/https://www.nytimes.com/1926/12/29/archives/rockefeller-again-offers-city-a-park-mayor-to-consult-board-of.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> though without success.<ref name="Torrey p. 17" />

In preparation for converting the land into a city park, Rockefeller hired the [[Olmsted Brothers]] firm, particularly [[Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.]], son of [[Frederick Law Olmsted|the designer]] of [[Central Park]]. Olmsted's design capitalized on the topography to reveal sweeping vistas of the Hudson River and the Palisades. Olmsted Jr. was guided by the four principles of park design that his father had established in creating Central Park: the beautiful, as seen in small open lawns; the picturesque, as shown in wooded slopes; the sublime, represented in the vistas of the Hudson River; and the gardenesque, exemplified by the park's Heather and Alpine Gardens.<ref name="concrete172">{{cite concrete |page=172}}</ref><ref name="NPS p. 9" /><ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> Olmsted Jr. had a preliminary report in 1927 and conducted a more exhaustive study in 1928–1930.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> In addition, James W. Dawson was hired to create a park-planting plan.<ref name="nycland">{{cite nycland |page=213}}</ref><ref name="aia">{{cite aia5|page=573}}</ref>

[[File:2018 Fort Tryon Park archway under Linden Terrace and path.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Stone archway and path under Linden Terrace, with small steps|Archway and path under Linden Terrace]]

Rockefeller also bought sculptor [[George Gray Barnard]]'s collection of [[medieval art]] in 1925.<ref name="NPS p. 9" /><ref name="Husband p. 18">{{harvnb|ps=.|Husband|2008|p=18}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=English and French Medieval Stained Glass in the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art |last1=Hayward |first1=Jane |last2=Shepard |first2=Mary |last3=Clark |first3=Cynthia |date=October 2012 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-30019-318-3 |page=38}}</ref> He added several artworks to the collection, which became a branch of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (Met) in 1926.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> Rockefeller retained Barnard as an advisor for the collection, and they collectively decided to add a museum for the collection at Fort Tryon Park, which they chose for its elevation, views, and accessible but isolated location.<ref name="Siple">{{cite journal |last=Siple |first=Ella |date=August 1938 |title=Medieval Art at the New Cloisters and Elsewhere |journal=The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs |volume=73 |jstor=867467 |number=425 |pages=88–83}}</ref> The Billings mansion, which was originally supposed to house the collection, was destroyed in a March 1926 fire that burned down everything except the walls.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Billings Mansion on Hudson Razed by Fire, 2 Saved |date=March 27, 1926 |work=Brooklyn Times-Union |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36266642/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36266667/ 4] |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> In June 1930, Rockefeller offered {{Convert|56|acre||abbr=}} of the park to the city for a third time, though he reserved {{Convert|4|acre||abbr=}} for the future museum.<ref name="NPS p. 9" /><ref name="NYTimes-Offer-1930">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/06/07/archives/rockefeller-offers-city-56acre-13000000-park-to-include-art-museum.html |title=Rockefeller Offers City 56-acre $13,000,000 Park To Include Art Museum |date=June 7, 1930 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923185953/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/06/07/archives/rockefeller-offers-city-56acre-13000000-park-to-include-art-museum.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BDE-Accepts-1930">{{cite news |url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/36266911/ |title=City to Accept Park Site Gift of Rockefeller |date=June 7, 1930 |work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |access-date=August 28, 2019 |page=22 |via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192104/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/36266911/city-to-accept-park-site-gift-of/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Rockefeller also offered to improve the grounds for $2 million,<ref name="BDE-Accepts-1930" /><ref name="NYT-Accepts-1930">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/03/19/archives/city-acts-to-accept-rockefellers-park-sinking-fund-commission-gives.html |title=City Acts To Accept Rockefeller's Park |date=March 19, 1931 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923140637/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/03/19/archives/city-acts-to-accept-rockefellers-park-sinking-fund-commission-gives.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> though the city would be responsible for improving utilities in the park.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> In his letter offering the park to the city, Rockefeller proposed to name the park after Fort Tryon,<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="NYTimes-Offer-1930" /> but in September 1930, historian [[Reginald Pelham Bolton]] said that Rockefeller actually preferred to have the park be named "Forest Hill Park".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/09/11/archives/rockefeller-dislikes-tryon-as-name-for-park-he-donated.html |title=Rockefeller Dislikes Tryon As Name for Park He Donated |date=September 11, 1930 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923140637/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/09/11/archives/rockefeller-dislikes-tryon-as-name-for-park-he-donated.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In early 1931, the city moved to accept Rockefeller's offer.<ref name="NYT-Accepts-1930" />

=== Construction ===

Construction of the park began in August 1931,<ref name="NYCL p. 7">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> before the city had accepted the deed to the land on December 28, 1931.<ref name="encnyc" /><ref name="Torrey p. 17" /> The work provided many jobs during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="encnyc" /> The work included numerous smaller projects such as destruction of the old Billings estate; grading of the terrain; constructing structures such as arches and balconies; planting trees, shrubs, and lawns; and cutting into the ridge of the west side of the park to create an extension of Riverside Drive. Some {{Convert|36000|yd3|m3|abbr=}} of Manhattan schist were used in the project, while an average of 350 workers were employed during each day of work.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> Construction progressed quickly and by February 1932, it was reported that Fort Tryon Park was 42% complete.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/02/14/archives/work-40-finished-on-fort-tryon-park-revolutionary-battle-site-is-be.html |title=Work 40% Finished On Fort Tryon Park |date=February 14, 1932 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923210933/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/02/14/archives/work-40-finished-on-fort-tryon-park-revolutionary-battle-site-is-be.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rockefeller bought an additional two plots from the Met totaling about {{Convert|1|acre||abbr=}} in June 1932.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/06/24/archives/rockefeller-buys-land-from-museum-takes-over-metropolitans-two.html |title=Rockefeller Buys Land from Museum |date=June 24, 1932 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923210933/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/06/24/archives/rockefeller-buys-land-from-museum-takes-over-metropolitans-two.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, he offered to landscape the additional plots at his own expense,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/13/archives/rockefeller-offers-land-gift-to-city-would-landscape-at-own-expense.html |title=Rockefeller Offers Land Gift to City; Would Landscape at Own Expense an Acre Addition to Fort Tryon Park. |date=January 13, 1933 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923210934/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/13/archives/rockefeller-offers-land-gift-to-city-would-landscape-at-own-expense.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the city accepted that land.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/02/04/archives/city-accepts-land-from-rockefeller-estimate-board-orders-terms.html |title=City Accepts Land From Rockefeller; Estimate Board Orders Terms Drawn in Gift for Fort Tryon Park Addition. |date=February 4, 1933 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923210935/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/02/04/archives/city-accepts-land-from-rockefeller-estimate-board-orders-terms.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The project included the construction of the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]], served by the modern-day {{NYCS trains|Eighth far north}}, which contains two stations serving the park (see {{section link||Transportation}}).<ref name="encnyc" /> The line, which crosses directly under the park between the two stations,<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> opened in late 1932.<ref name="Chambers">{{cite news |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0D13F7395513738DDDA90994D1405B828FF1D3 |title=Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains in New Subway |date=September 10, 1932 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=June 29, 2018 |page=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912162150/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0D13F7395513738DDDA90994D1405B828FF1D3 |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> By March 1934, it was reported that the park was nearly complete, but that an additional $500,000 was needed for improvements.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/03/30/archives/city-unable-to-open-fort-tryon-park-lack-of-500000-for-improvements.html |title=City Unable To Open Fort Tryon Park; Lack of $500,000 for Improvements Holds up $5,000,000 Gift of J.D. Rockefeller Jr. |date=March 30, 1934 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923210935/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/03/30/archives/city-unable-to-open-fort-tryon-park-lack-of-500000-for-improvements.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36282182/ |title=Fort Tryon Park Fund of $500,000 Sought by City |date=March 30, 1934 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |access-date=September 21, 2019 |page=93 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192106/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36282182/fort-tryon-park-fund-of-500000-sought/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Public Works Administration]] subsequently gave mayor [[Fiorello H. La Guardia]] and New York City parks commissioner [[Robert Moses]] $800,000 in funds to complete the park.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> The playground at the northeast corner of the park, at Broadway and Dyckman Street, was opened on September 6, 1934.<ref name="NYTimes-Playground-1934">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/09/06/archives/ft-tryon-play-area-is-opened-by-moses-400-children-take-possession.html |title=Ft. Tryon Play Area Is Opened By Moses; 400 Children Take Possession At Once – Another Group Gives Party for Heckscher. |date=September 6, 1934 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924032213/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/09/06/archives/ft-tryon-play-area-is-opened-by-moses-400-children-take-possession.html |archive-date=September 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The park was dedicated on October 12, 1935 by Rockefeller & Moses. In total, Rockefeller had spent $3.6 million toward the park's construction.<ref name="encnyc" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/10/13/archives/tryon-park-a-gift-to-city-is-opened-rockefeller-formally-presents.html |title=Tryon Park, A Gift To City, Is Opened; Rockefeller Formally Presents Beauty Spot to Public, With Plea for Preservation. |date=October 13, 1935 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923210935/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/10/13/archives/tryon-park-a-gift-to-city-is-opened-rockefeller-formally-presents.html |archive-date=September 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Upon Fort Tryon Park's opening, Upper Manhattan had nearly {{Convert|600|acre||abbr=}} of parkland split among several non-contiguous sites, including Fort Tryon, Fort Washington, [[Inwood Hill Park|Inwood Hill]], and [[Highbridge Park|Highbridge]] Parks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/07/23/archives/uptown-a-vast-park-spreads-nearly-600-acres-of-open-space-at.html |title=Uptown a Vast Park Spreads; Nearly 600 Acres of Open Space at Manhattan's North End Turned Into an Area of Planned Beauty and Utility |date=July 23, 1939 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924142230/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/07/23/archives/uptown-a-vast-park-spreads-nearly-600-acres-of-open-space-at.html |archive-date=September 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 1935, construction started on [[the Cloisters]], the Met's medieval art museum within the park.<ref name="nycland" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/04/04/archives/costly-museum-cloister-to-be-built-by-rockefeller-2500000-gothic.html |title=Costly Museum Cloister To Be Built by Rockefeller; $2,500,000 Gothic Building for Metropolitan to Rise in Tryon Park – Donor Also Gives Six Tapestries Worth $1,100,000. |date=April 4, 1935 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924010831/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/04/04/archives/costly-museum-cloister-to-be-built-by-rockefeller-2500000-gothic.html |archive-date=September 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The museum, designed by [[Charles Collens]],<ref name="Barnet p. 12">{{harvnb|ps=.|Barnet|Wu|2005|p=12}}</ref> incorporated several medieval buildings that were purchased in Europe, brought to the United States, and reassembled, often stone by stone.<ref name="Husband p. 35">{{harvnb|ps=.|Husband|2008|p=35}}</ref> The first portions of the Cloisters were opened to the public in May 1938,<ref name="NYTimes-Opened-1938">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/11/archives/cloisters-opened-on-tryon-heights-rockefeller-disclaims-praise-as.html |title=Cloisters Opened on Tryon Heights |date=May 11, 1938 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723004645/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/11/archives/cloisters-opened-on-tryon-heights-rockefeller-disclaims-praise-as.html |archive-date=July 23, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the museum was completed the following year.<ref name="Met Cloisters History">"[http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/history-of-the-museum/the-cloisters-museum-and-gardens The Cloisters Museum and Gardens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415030814/http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/history-of-the-museum/the-cloisters-museum-and-gardens |date=April 15, 2012 }}". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved May 15, 2016</ref>

{{wide image|FtTryonPk.JPG|800px|alt=A view of the park from the Hudson River. The Cloisters museum can be seen at the top of the hill on the right. The green elevated highway is the Henry Hudson Parkway|A view of the park from the [[Hudson River]]; [[The Cloisters]] can be seen at the top of the hill on the right. The green elevated highway is the [[Henry Hudson Parkway]]}}

=== Mid-20th century and decline ===
In the years following Fort Tryon Park's opening, several improvements were made to the park. In 1936, the Met gave the city a small portion of the land intended for the Cloisters, thereby increasing Fort Tryon Park's area slightly.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/12/11/archives/adds-to-fort-tryon-park-metropolitan-museum-transfers-part-of-land.html |title=Adds to Fort Tryon Park; Metropolitan Museum Transfers Part of Land to City. |date=December 11, 1936 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924142230/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/12/11/archives/adds-to-fort-tryon-park-metropolitan-museum-transfers-part-of-land.html |archive-date=September 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1939, Rockefeller announced that he had given the city an additional {{convert|1.75|acre}} of vacant land adjacent to Fort Tryon Park, which the city would convert into another playground.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/01/26/archives/rockefeller-adds-to-try-on-park-gift-turns-over-145000-plot.html |title=Rockefeller Adds to Try on Park Gift; Turns Over $145,000 Plot, Bringing Total of Donations to City to $11,500,000 |date=January 26, 1939 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924142231/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/01/26/archives/rockefeller-adds-to-try-on-park-gift-turns-over-145000-plot.html |archive-date=September 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The new playground was dedicated in 1941.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/09/23/archives/playground-near-fort-tryon-park-rounds-out-rockefeller-gift-to-city.html |title=Playground Near Fort Tryon Park Rounds Out Rockefeller Gift to City |date=September 23, 1941 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924142230/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/09/23/archives/playground-near-fort-tryon-park-rounds-out-rockefeller-gift-to-city.html |archive-date=September 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the years before World War I, the future park's name was shared by the neighborhood to its south. The area between Broadway and the Hudson River, as far south as West 179th Street, was known as Fort Tryon. By the 1940s the neighborhood was known as Frankfurt-on-the-Hudson,<ref>Lowenstein, Steven M. (1989) ''Frankfurt on the Hudson''. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.</ref> a name that by the 1990s had given way to [[Hudson Heights (Manhattan)|Hudson Heights]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/08/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-hudson-heights-high-above-hudson-crowd-ops.html |title=If You're Thinking of Living In / Hudson Heights; High Above Hudson, a Crowd of Co-ops |last=Garb |first=Maggie |date=November 8, 1998 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=October 9, 2009 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202061657/http://nytimes.com/1998/11/08/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-hudson-heights-high-above-hudson-crowd-ops.html |archive-date=December 2, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1970s, a retired furniture salesman named Robert Hoffman led an initiative to rename Fort Tryon Park, following an interaction where Hoffman heard a group of tourists laugh upon hearing about the park's etymology. His efforts led Hope Irvine, a co-chairperson of Manhattan Community Board 12's Bicentennial Committee, to suggest Margaret Corbin's name for the park. The Cloisters objected to the entire park's renaming but reached a compromise to rename the park's southern entrance plaza and the main road.<ref name="Asbury 1977">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/08/archives/revolutionary-war-heroine-finally-is-given-recognition.html |title=Revolutionary War Heroine. Finally Is Given Recognition |last=Asbury |first=Edith Evans |date=July 8, 1977 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 26, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926142106/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/08/archives/revolutionary-war-heroine-finally-is-given-recognition.html |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYDN-Corbin-1978">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36373576/ |title=Honor Capt. Molly in Tryon Park rites |last=Lewis |first=John |date=November 26, 1978 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |access-date=September 21, 2019 |page=672 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192106/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36373576/honor-capt-molly-in-tryon-park-rites/ |url-status=live}}</ref> This led to the [[New York City Council]] voting to rename these features after Margaret Corbin in 1977.<ref name="Asbury 1977" /><ref name="NYCL p. 13">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=13}}</ref>

As the City of New York suffered severe budget constraints in the 1970s, especially in the aftermath of the [[1975 New York City fiscal crisis]], funds for parks were decimated. Fort Tryon Park's gardens, woodlands, and playgrounds fell into disuse and disrepair.<ref name="timeline" /> The park's concession building was closed in 1976 following a major fire.<ref name="NYDN-Cafe-1978">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36373940/ |title=Fort Tryon Park Cafe Will Reopen Eventually |last=King |first=Martin |date=March 31, 1978 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |access-date=September 21, 2019 |page=366 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192109/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36373940/fort-tryon-park-cafe-will-reopen/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Decline continued until the 1980s when funds became available and restoration efforts began.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web |title=Historical Timeline Listing |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust |date=October 12, 1935 |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/historical-timeline-of-fort-tryon-park/ |access-date=March 1, 2020 |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814195947/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/historical-timeline-of-fort-tryon-park/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Numerous crimes were recorded in the park in the 1980s. These included the discoveries of several corpses, including that of a missing 9-year-old girl in 1986,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/27/nyregion/body-of-girl-9-is-found.html |title=Body of Girl, 9, Is Found |date=March 27, 1986 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 26, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926150723/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/27/nyregion/body-of-girl-9-is-found.html |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> and that of a 19-year-old woman who was strangled in 1989.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/01/nyregion/body-of-young-woman-is-discovered-in-a-park.html |title=Body of Young Woman Is Discovered in a Park |date=May 1, 1989 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 26, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926150723/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/01/nyregion/body-of-young-woman-is-discovered-in-a-park.html |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, there were perceptions that crime in Fort Tryon Park was overlooked due to its relatively remote position. In April 1989, the [[Central Park jogger case|beating and rape of a woman]] in [[Central Park]] received national media attention, but a similar attack on another woman in Fort Tryon Park the same month was sparsely covered even by local media.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/07/nyregion/when-crimes-become-symbols.html |title=When Crimes Become Symbols |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=May 7, 1989 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 26, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926150724/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/07/nyregion/when-crimes-become-symbols.html |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Late-20th and early-21st century improvements ===
[[File:Fort Tryon Park by Matthew Bisanz.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=A park entrance, flanked by stone posts|One of the park's entrances]]
In 1983, the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] made Fort Tryon Park an official [[New York City scenic landmarks|scenic landmark]]. The next year, a plan for the park's complete renovation was unveiled.<ref name="timeline" /> The Greenacre Foundation, an organization created by John Rockefeller Jr.'s only daughter [[Abby Rockefeller Mauzé]], donated $10 million toward the restoration in advance of the park's 50th anniversary in 1985.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/14/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-fort-tryon-park-turns-50.html |title=New York Day by Day; Fort Tryon Park Turns 50. . . |last1=Anderson |first1=Susan Heller |date=October 14, 1985 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 26, 2019 |last2=Rimer |first2=Sara |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926142106/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/14/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-fort-tryon-park-turns-50.html |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Among the first features to receive improvements was the Heather Garden, which was restored over three years by a partnership between the [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] (NYC Parks), the Greenacre Foundation, and volunteers.<ref name="timeline" /><ref name="Martin 1998">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/01/nyregion/making-it-work-going-back-to-the-past-at-fort-tryon-overlook.html |title=Making it Work; Going Back to the Past At Fort Tryon Overlook |last=Martin |first=Douglas |date=November 1, 1998 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 13, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513155210/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/01/nyregion/making-it-work-going-back-to-the-past-at-fort-tryon-overlook.html |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYC Parks Heather Garden">{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/12337 |title=Fort Tryon Park Highlights |date=June 26, 1939 |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421174846/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/12337 |archive-date=April 21, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The concession building was restored beginning in 1995 by the [[New York Restoration Project]] (NYRP), a [[nonprofit organization]] operated by [[Bette Midler]], which started operating a cafe there in 2001.<ref name="New Leaf Website">{{cite web |title=New Leaf & Fort Tryon Park |publisher=New Leaf Restaurant & Bar |date=January 8, 2015 |url=http://newleafrestaurant.com/about/new-leaf-fort-tryon-park/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108233236/http://newleafrestaurant.com/about/new-leaf-fort-tryon-park/ |archive-date=January 8, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 25, 2019}}</ref> The Anne Loftus Playground at the park's northeast corner was also restored between 1995 and 1997,<ref name="NYC Parks Loftus" /><ref name=nyt-1997-04-20>{{Cite news |last=Lii |first=Jane H. |date=April 20, 1997 |title=Freshening Up Ft. Tryon Park |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/20/nyregion/freshening-up-ft-tryon-park.html |access-date=December 26, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925204815/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/20/nyregion/freshening-up-ft-tryon-park.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and the Javits Playground at the southern border was restored around the same time.<ref name="NYC Parks Javits" /> The nonprofit [[Fort Tryon Park Trust]] was founded in 1998 to help maintain the park.<ref name="timeline" /> In 2001, the trust raised $200,000 toward the further restoration of the Heather Garden.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/02/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-greenery-washington-heights-residents-wake-up-smell.html |title=Neighborhood Report: New York Greenery; In Washington Heights, Residents Wake Up, Smell the Roses and Save a Garden |last=Kugel |first=Seth |date=December 2, 2001 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929160414/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/02/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-greenery-washington-heights-residents-wake-up-smell.html |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Sir William Dog Run opened the same year.<ref name="Kugel 2001">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/nyregion/neighborhood-report-inwood-now-that-fences-are-gone-about-steak-for-dinner.html |title=Neighborhood Report: Inwood; Now That the Fences Are Gone, How About a Steak for Dinner? |last=Kugel |first=Seth |date=November 25, 2001 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929201125/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/25/nyregion/neighborhood-report-inwood-now-that-fences-are-gone-about-steak-for-dinner.html |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The park was still the site of crimes, despite being much safer than in previous years. After an incident where a jogger was raped in the early morning in 1997,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/20/nyregion/jogger-raped-in-quiet-park-near-cloisters.html |title=Jogger Raped In Quiet Park Near Cloisters |last=Sengupta |first=Somini |date=October 20, 1997 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 26, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926150721/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/20/nyregion/jogger-raped-in-quiet-park-near-cloisters.html |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> NYC Parks considered proposals to close the park's roads at night. Met officials opposed the move because it would block access to the Cloisters, but NYC Parks eventually agreed to place wooden barriers to allow Met staff access at night. ''The New York Times'' stated that the park had gained the perception among local residents and park officials "as something of a nighttime haven for vandals, drug users and even car thieves", and had seen eight abandoned cars in 1997 alone.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/16/nyregion/neighborhood-report-washington-heights-how-cloistered-the-cloisters.html |title=Neighborhood Report: Washington Heights; How Cloistered the Cloisters? |date=November 16, 1997 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926150725/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/16/nyregion/neighborhood-report-washington-heights-how-cloistered-the-cloisters.html |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following additional crimes in the 2000s, cameras were installed in the park in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/parks-department-mounting-cameras-parks-thwart-after-hours-crime-not-pleased-article-1.145469 |title=Parks Department mounting cameras in parks to thwart after-hours crime, but not all are pleased |last1=Feeney |first1=Michael J. |last2=Kappstatter |first2=Bob |date=April 1, 2011 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |access-date=September 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926150721/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/parks-department-mounting-cameras-parks-thwart-after-hours-crime-not-pleased-article-1.145469 |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

NYC Parks and the Fort Tryon Park Trust started restoring the park's eastern side in 2006.<ref name="Zanoni 2011">{{cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20111107/washington-heights-inwood/fort-tryons-alpine-garden-stairs-grotto-could-get-140000-makeover |title=Fort Tryon's Alpine Garden Stairs and Grotto Could Get $140,000 Makeover |last=Zanoni |first=Carla |date=November 7, 2011 |website=DNAinfo New York |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143601/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20111107/washington-heights-inwood/fort-tryons-alpine-garden-stairs-grotto-could-get-140000-makeover/ |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The restoration of the overgrown Alpine Garden was completed in 2009 in advance of the park's 75th anniversary the following year.<ref name="DNAInfo-Alpine-2009">{{Cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20091124/manhattan/washington-heights-alpine-garden-gets-765k-makeover |title=Washington Heights' Alpine Garden Gets $765K Makeover |website=DNAinfo New York |date=November 24, 2009 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143602/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20091124/manhattan/washington-heights-alpine-garden-gets-765k-makeover/ |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On June 15, 2010, the park celebrated its 75th anniversary with a [[fundraiser]] and [[fireworks]] display.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zanoni |first=Carla |title=Fireworks Light Up the Northern Manhattan Sky for Fort Tryon Park's 75th Anniversary |website=DNAinfo New York |date=June 16, 2010 |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20100616/washington-heights-inwood/fireworks-light-up-northern-manhattan-sky-for-fort-tryon-parks-75th-anniversary |access-date=September 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929201135/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20100616/washington-heights-inwood/fireworks-light-up-northern-manhattan-sky-for-fort-tryon-parks-75th-anniversary/ |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> After the concession building was closed in 2014 for roof renovations, the operation of the restaurant was taken over in 2015 by [[Queens]]-based cafe [[Coffeed]].<ref name="NYDN-Coffeed-2015">{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/queens-based-cafe-replace-fort-tryon-park-restaurant-article-1.2069511 |title=Queens-based cafe to replace Fort Tryon Park restaurant and bar |last=Ranson |first=Jan |date=January 7, 2015 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911095902/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/queens-based-cafe-replace-fort-tryon-park-restaurant-article-1.2069511 |archive-date=September 11, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> A renovation of the Jacob K. Javits Playground started in July 2018<ref>{{cite web |last=Krisel |first=Brendan |date=July 17, 2018 |title=Renovation Begins At Washington Heights Park |url=https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/renovation-begins-washington-heights-park |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925204816/https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/renovation-begins-washington-heights-park |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |website=Washington Heights-Inwood, NY Patch}}</ref> and was completed in March 2020.<ref name="Quinn 2020">{{cite web |last=Quinn |first=Anna |date=March 9, 2020 |title=Long-Awaited $3M Upgrade Wraps Up At Fort Tryon Park Playground |url=https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/long-awaited-3m-upgrade-wraps-fort-tryon-park-playground |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Washington Heights-Inwood, NY Patch |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315180519/https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/long-awaited-3m-upgrade-wraps-fort-tryon-park-playground |url-status=live}}</ref> The Anne Loftus Playground was temporarily closed in August 2021,<ref name="Smith 2021">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Gillian |title=Anne Loftus Playground To Close For A Year For Upgrades |website=Washington Heights-Inwood, NY Patch |date=August 3, 2021 |url=https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/anne-loftus-playground-close-year-upgrades |access-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226133735/https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/anne-loftus-playground-close-year-upgrades |url-status=live}}</ref> and it reopened in October 2022 after a $4.2&nbsp;million renovation.<ref name="City Life Org 2022">{{cite web |title=NYC Parks Celebrates $4.18 Million Reconstruction of Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park |website=City Life Org |date=October 13, 2022 |url=https://thecitylife.org/2022/10/13/nyc-parks-celebrates-4-18-million-reconstruction-of-anne-loftus-playground-in-fort-tryon-park/ |access-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226133736/https://thecitylife.org/2022/10/13/nyc-parks-celebrates-4-18-million-reconstruction-of-anne-loftus-playground-in-fort-tryon-park/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Manhattan Times News 2022">{{cite web |title="Breath of fresh air" "Un respiro de aire fresco" – Manhattan Times News |website=Manhattan Times News |date=October 19, 2022 |url=https://www.manhattantimesnews.com/breath-of-fresh-air-un-respiro-de-aire-fresco/ |access-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226133737/https://www.manhattantimesnews.com/breath-of-fresh-air-un-respiro-de-aire-fresco/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{-}}

== Design ==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 300
| perrow = 2
| image1 = 2014 Fort Tryon Park tour walkway.jpg
| caption1 = A walkway in Fort Tryon Park
| alt1 = A walkway in Fort Tryon Park
| image2 = 2018 Fort Tryon Park - drinking fountain.jpg
| caption2 = A water fountain, designed by the Olmsted Brothers
| alt2 = Stone water fountain
| image3 = 2014 Fort Tryon Park benches.jpg
| caption3 = The built-in benches, part of Olmsted's original design
| alt3 = Stone benches
}}
Olmsted Brothers created a plan that adapted the area's steep topography into a landscaped park. According to their original 1927 design, Fort Tryon Park was to be a "landscape park occupying a site of extraordinary landscape interest", devoted mostly to "passive recreation" except for a playground at its northern edge.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Report 1927">{{Cite report |title=Preliminary Report for Fort Tryon Park |last=Olmsted |first=Frederick L. Jr. |year=1927 |issue=B42 |volume=Olmsted Associates Papers}}</ref> Fort Tryon Park's landscape also served as the backdrop for the Cloisters, intended as the "culminating point of interest in the architectural design of the park."<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="NPS p. 9" /><ref name="NYTimes-Offer-1930" /> The natural topography was largely preserved, with the park being designed around the terrain.<ref name="NPS p. 3">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> Olmsted Jr. believed that the park should use a variety of landscapes:

<blockquote>Each unit in this intricate series of places should offer a picture of as great perfection as can be contrived, using the same great distant views over the Hudson and over the City  gain and again but framing them differently, presenting them with constantly differing types of foreground, some intricate and intimate, some grandiose and simple, some richly architectural or gardenesque, some picturesquely naturalistic; and, by way of contrast, some presenting wholly self-contained scenes.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Report 1927" /></blockquote>

In a continuation of his father's design philosophy, Olmsted Jr. included passive recreation features such as numerous tiers of paths; a combination of natural and manmade slopes; and the addition of plantings and rock forms to supplement existing features of the park site. The few small flat areas were converted to lawns with trees on their perimeters. Stone retaining walls were placed along slopes to prevent visitors on the paths from falling off the cliffs.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> The park also included curved drives and pathways for vehicles and pedestrians, as well as segregated vehicle and pedestrian uses.  Other design features in Fort Tryon Park included the use of arches; segregation of passive and active recreational activities; the diversity and precise arrangement of plantings; the variety of different landscape designs; and the blend of naturalistic and architectural features. Similar design principles were also included in [[Morningside Park (Manhattan)|Morningside Park]] and in [[The Ramble and Lake|the Ramble]] at [[Central Park]], both designed by Olmsted's father upon steep terrain.<ref name="NPS p. 3" /><ref name="NYCL p. 9">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=9}}</ref>

In contrast to previous parks created by Olmsted Jr. and his father, Fort Tryon Park emphasized architecture and was more accommodating to vehicles. The park's retaining walls were more prominent than in previous parks, and the Cloisters was the most prominent feature of the park. Further, Fort Tryon Park contained parking lots and vehicle overlooks, in contrast to other parks that discouraged vehicle use. Other deviations from past designs included the emphasis of Heather Garden, a gardenesque feature, as well as the formally-designed children's playground at the northeast corner.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> The design includes numerous architectural features including Corbin Circle and Linden Terrace.<ref name="NPS p. 3" />

=== Circulation ===
[[File:2015 Fort Tryon Park Margaret Corbin Drive Arch 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|alt=Stone archway under Margaret Corbin Drive, which connects to the northbound Henry Hudson Parkway|The archway under Margaret Corbin Drive, which connects to the northbound [[Henry Hudson Parkway]]]]

Fort Tryon Park contains numerous roads that can accommodate light traffic volumes. The primary road, named [[Margaret Corbin]] Drive, carries traffic from the park's southern entrance at [[#Corbin Circle|Corbin Circle]] to a roadway that loops around the Cloisters.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> Formally designated in 1977,<ref name="Asbury 1977" /><ref name="NYDN-Corbin-1978" /><ref name="NYCL p. 13" /> the name commemorates the [[Continental Army]] soldier in the American Revolutionary War who was wounded in the Battle of Fort Washington.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="NYC Parks Bennett" /><ref name="Torrey p. 15" /> A secondary roadway named Fort Tryon Place carries traffic to and from the northbound lanes of [[Henry Hudson Parkway]], at the bottom of the cliff to the west. Corbin Drive passes above Fort Tryon Place via a pair of masonry arches: one large arch at a [[rock cut]] that carries both directions of Corbin Drive above both directions of Fort Tryon Place, and a smaller arch that carries northbound Corbin Drive over the westbound Fort Tryon Place. The drive contains numerous small parking lots.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" />

The north–south [[Fort Washington Avenue]] ends at Corbin Circle, though it once extended north through the park. Another street, Abbey Hill Road, once connected Margaret Corbin Drive with Broadway, though it no longer exists on maps. The north–south Overlook Terrace, on the south side of the park, was authorized to be extended to Corbin Circle, though that section was not built.<ref>{{harvnb|Husband|2008|p=23|ps=.}}</ref>

An {{Convert|8|mi|km|abbr=|adj=mid|-long}} network of pedestrian pathways is also located within the park.<ref name="NPS p. 3" /> Along the edges of some paths, there are rows of stone that have been cut and placed to produce naturalistic effects. Tunnels carry the paths under the drives at two locations: at Fort Tryon Place and near the concession building. Another bridge carries a path over Fort Tryon Place.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> Ramps and stairways connect the park to [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] and [[Riverside Drive (Manhattan)|Riverside Drive]], respectively located at the bottom of the cliff to the east and north.<ref name="NPS p. 3" /> A formal promenade, containing seating areas and elm trees, runs north from Corbin Circle to [[#Linden Terrace|Linden Terrace]].<ref name="NYCL p. 10" />

=== Plantings ===
[[File:2014 Fort Tryon Park Heather Garden.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=The Heather Garden, with plants in numerous varieties and colors|The Heather Garden contains perennials, shrubs, and trees, as well as plantings representing each season]]
The park site was originally planted with numerous trees, both native and imported. Olmsted Brothers transported 180 fully grown "mature trees" and planted more than 1,600 floral species to make the park appear like a [[botanical garden]].<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> The various sections of Fort Tryon Park were planted with [[herbaceous plant]]s, [[shrub]]s, and [[tree]]s representing different seasons. There were also numerous small lawns including the Children's Play Lawn and the Picnic Grounds, as well as formal planted areas such as Corbin Circle, the promenade, the terrace, and the playground. The Heather and Alpine Gardens were distinctly designed with a large variety of plantings.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> Though it is illegal to forage for plants inside Fort Tryon Park, or at any other public park within the city, relatively few summons are written for such violations within the park.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/nyregion/thecity/where-the-fruits-of-autumn-might-include-a-summons.html |title=Where the Fruits of Autumn Might Include a Summons |last=Bleyer |first=Jennifer |date=September 17, 2006 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929160415/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/nyregion/thecity/where-the-fruits-of-autumn-might-include-a-summons.html |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Fort Tryon Park during spring.jpg|thumb|left|Fort Tryon Park during spring, seen in 2025]]

The Heather Garden, located in a ridge west of Corbin Drive and the promenade, is described by NYC Parks as "the largest public garden with unrestricted access in New York City",<ref name="Fort Tryon Park News 2014">{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/dailyplant/23205 |title=The Gardens Of Fort Tryon Park |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date=July 31, 2014 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143552/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/dailyplant/23205 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> with an area of {{Convert|3|acre||abbr=}}.<ref name="Martin 1998" /> It was planned by the Olmsted Brothers as a gardenesque site with [[Ulmus americana|American elm trees]] and low-growing heather, also known as ''[[Calluna|Calluna vulgaris]]''.<ref name="NYC Parks Heather Garden" /><ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> The short height of the heather was intended to allow views of the Hudson River, and stone seating allowed visitors to observe the landscape. The heather took several years to grow to its full height.<ref name="NYC Parks Heather Garden" /> The Heather Garden became overgrown with [[invasive species]] after a remodeling in 1955 failed to take Olmsted's design into consideration. The garden was restored in the late 1980s following Olmsted's original plans.<ref name="Martin 1998" /><ref name="NYC Parks Heather Garden" /> Minor additions and improvements continued to take place afterward.<ref name="Martin 1998" /> The garden contains perennials, shrubs, and trees, as well as plantings representing each season.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/sites/heather-garden/ |title=Heather Garden |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143549/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/sites/heather-garden/ |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Alpine Garden, the other formal space planned by the Olmsted Brothers, is located on the ridge along the park's eastern side, to the east of the Cloisters. It contains a stone stair and a grotto.<ref name="NYCL p. 11">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=11}}</ref> Originally planted with [[alpine plant]]s, the garden later became overgrown before being restored in 2009.<ref name="DNAInfo-Alpine-2009" /> The garden incorporates numerous rocks, which according to NYC Parks' website "{{Sic|compliment|nolink=y}} the outcroppings of metamorphic Manhattan schist".<ref name="Zanoni 2011" /> The rocks used in the garden include [[quartz]], [[feldspar]], [[mica]], and [[garnet]]; some of the stone comes from excavations during the park's and subway's construction.<ref name="Zanoni 2011" /><ref name="Fort Tryon Park News 2014" />

In addition, the Cabrini Woods Nature Sanctuary runs alongside [[Cabrini Boulevard]] at the southwestern corner of the park. The woods connect to Inwood Hill Park and Fort Washington Park, the last two natural woodlands in Manhattan.<ref name="Ft Tryon Cabrini Woods">{{cite web |title=Cabrini Woods |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/cabrini-woods/ |access-date=September 29, 2019 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925145753/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/cabrini-woods/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Both the woods and the boulevard are named after [[Frances Xavier Cabrini]], the first American [[canonized]] as a [[Roman Catholic]] [[saint]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Moscow |first=Henry |title=The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins |year=1990 |publisher=Fordham University Press |location=New York |isbn=0-8232-1275-0 |page=32}}</ref> The woods serve as a habitat for wildlife, including 80 bird species as well as possums, raccoons, and skunks.<ref name="Ft Tryon Cabrini Woods"/>

=== Playgrounds ===
[[File:Fort Tryon Park td (2019-04-27) 009 - Anne Loftus Playground.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Anne Loftus Playground|Anne Loftus Playground, the only playground designed by the Olmsted Brothers]]
Fort Tryon Park contains two playgrounds. The park's northeast corner contains the Anne Loftus Playground, a triangle-shaped play area that primarily serves the Inwood neighborhood to the north. It is named after Anne Susan Cahill Loftus, a local resident who was the district manager of [[Manhattan Community Board 12]] between 1980 and 1989.<ref name="NYC Parks Loftus">{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/11234 |title=Anne Loftus Playground |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date=June 26, 1939 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830014552/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/11234 |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Opened in 1934,<ref name="NYTimes-Playground-1934" /> the playground was the only section of Fort Tryon Park that was originally intended for "active recreation" and the only playground designed by the Olmsted Brothers.<ref name="NYC Parks Loftus" /><ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> The Olmsted Brothers built the playground on the site because of its flatness and proximity to the streets nearby.<ref name="NYC Parks Loftus" /> The southwest side of the Anne Loftus Playground contains a one-story stone fieldhouse with a rooftop observation deck that is set into the cliff, and the northeast side contains an entrance to the [[Dyckman Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Dyckman Street station]]. A large wading pool is located in the middle of the playground, and plane trees encircle the play area.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> The playground was restored in 1995–1997 under a $1.44 million project that also added handicapped-accessible facilities, additional play structures, and performance space.<ref name="NYC Parks Loftus" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/20/nyregion/freshening-up-ft-tryon-park.html |title=Freshening Up Ft. Tryon Park |last=Lii |first=Jane H. |date=April 20, 1997 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 25, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925204815/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/20/nyregion/freshening-up-ft-tryon-park.html |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Anne Loftus Playground was renovated again between 2021 and 2022.<ref name="City Life Org 2022" /><ref name="Manhattan Times News 2022" />

The other playground in Fort Tryon Park is the Jacob K. Javits Playground, which primarily serves Hudson Heights and is named after U.S. senator [[Jacob Javits]]. The play area contains a play structure and basketball courts, as well as elm trees throughout the playground. When the park was created, Empire Mortgage initially leased the playground to the city before giving away the land as a gift in 1944. The playground was transferred to NYC Parks in 1981<ref name="NYC Parks Javits">{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/8724 |title=Fort Tryon Park Highlights |date=June 26, 1939 |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019000535/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/8724 |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> and renamed after Javits in 1984.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/13/nyregion/the-city-koch-signs-4-bills-naming-city-sites.html |title=The City; Koch Signs 4 Bills Naming City Sites |last=Associated Press |date=October 13, 1984 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 25, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925204811/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/13/nyregion/the-city-koch-signs-4-bills-naming-city-sites.html |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was renovated in 1995.<ref name="NYC Parks Javits" /> After a second period of decline,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150724/hudson-heights/depressing-hudson-heights-playground-needs-immediate-repairs-locals-say |title='Depressing' Hudson Heights Playground Needs Immediate Repairs, Locals Say |last=Armstrong |first=Lindsay |date=July 24, 2015 |website=DNAinfo New York |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411181159/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150724/hudson-heights/depressing-hudson-heights-playground-needs-immediate-repairs-locals-say/ |archive-date=April 11, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> the playground was renovated again from 2018 to 2020.<ref name="Quinn 2020" />

=== Other features <span class="anchor" id="Corbin Circle"></span> ===
[[File:2015 Fort Tryon Park Margaret Corbin memorial.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Plaque to Margaret Corbin|Corbin plaque]]

Margaret Corbin Circle is located at the intersection of [[Cabrini Boulevard]] and Fort Washington Avenue, on the park's southern border.<ref name="NYCL p. 10">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=10}}</ref> Formerly known simply as the South Plaza,<ref name="NYCL p. 13" /> it was renamed in 1977 after Corbin.<ref name="Asbury 1977" /><ref name="NYDN-Corbin-1978" /><ref name="NYCL p. 13" /> The plaza consists of a [[roundabout]] for traffic, and is surrounded by a low stone perimeter wall, with stone posts flanking the entrances to the building. A planted circle is located in the center of the roundabout. The old Fort Tryon Cottage (see {{Section link||Billings estate}}) and the [[station building]] to the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[190th Street station]] are located on the edges of the plaza.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> A bronze plaque commemorating Corbin is located on the perimeter wall.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/332 |title=Margaret Corbin Plaque |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date=June 26, 1939 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143550/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/332 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Sir William's Dog Run is located to the east of Corbin Drive, south of the overpass over Fort Tryon Drive.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/sir-williams-dog-run/ |title=Sir William's Dog Run |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925145726/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/sir-williams-dog-run/ |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Dog park|dog run]] is open 24 hours a day and its regulations allow owners to take their dogs off-leash.<ref name="Kugel 2001" /><ref name="NYCgo dog run" /> Opened in 2001,<ref name="Kugel 2001" /> it is described as the largest dog run in Manhattan.<ref name="NYCgo dog run">{{cite web |title=Sir William's Dog Run in Fort Tryon Park |publisher=NYC & Company |url=https://www.nycgo.com/venues/sir-williams-dog-run-in-fort-tryon-park |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925200618/https://www.nycgo.com/venues/sir-williams-dog-run-in-fort-tryon-park |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Several trees within Sir William's Dog Run are surrounded by short barriers to prevent damage to their roots.<ref name="Kugel 2001" />

== Structures ==
Buildings in Fort Tryon Park include the Cloisters, the gatehouse, a cafeteria and administration building, the field house, and the subway fan house and shed. Except for the Cloisters, these buildings are mostly single-story masonry structures made with [[ashlar]]. Numerous other structures also exist, including a gazebo and the Billings Arcade.<ref name="NPS p. 3" />

=== The Cloisters ===
{{main|The Cloisters}}
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 450
| image1 = 2014 The Cloisters seen from Linden Terrace Fort Tryon Park crop.jpg
| caption1 = The tower of the Cloisters, as seen from Linden Terrace
| alt1 = The tower of the Cloisters, as seen from Linden Terrace
| image2 = Cuxa_Cloister_MET_DP132222.jpg
| caption2 = Cuxa Cloister
| alt2 = Cuxa Cloister
| image3 = The cloisters chapel reconstruction.JPG
| caption3 = [[The Fuentidueña Apse]]
| alt3 = The Fuentidueña Apse
}}
The Cloisters is a branch of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] that houses the museum's extensive collection of [[medieval Europe]]an art and artifacts,<ref name="Met Cloisters History" /> including the ''[[Unicorn Tapestries]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Preston |first=Richard |title=Capturing the Unicorn |magazine=The New Yorker |date=April 11, 2005 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/04/11/050411fa_fact |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710002632/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/04/11/050411fa_fact |archive-date=July 10, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The museum's buildings are a combination of medieval structures bought in Europe and reconstructed on-site stone-by-stone,<ref name="Husband p. 35" /> and new buildings in the medieval style designed by Charles Collens.<ref name="Barnet p. 12" /> The Cloisters consists of four main cloister structures: Cuxa,<ref name="Husband p. 33">{{harvnb|ps=.|Husband|2008|p=33}}</ref> Saint Guilhem,<ref name="Barnet p. 58">{{harvnb|ps=.|Barnet|Wu|2005|p=58}}</ref> Bonnefont,<ref name="Siple" /><ref name="Rorimer">{{cite book |last1=Rorimer |first1=James |author-link=James Rorimer |last2=Serrell |first2=Katherine |title=Medieval Monuments at the Cloisters as They Were and as They Are |year=1972 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-0-87099-027-4 |page=20}}</ref> and Trie.<ref name="Rorimer" /><ref name="Husband p. 10">{{harvnb|ps=.|Husband|2008|p=10}}</ref> The Cloisters also contains three gardens, one each within the Cuxa, Bonnefont, and Trie cloisters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/press/general-information/2016/gardens-at-the-met-cloisters |title=Gardens at The Met Cloisters |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=2016 |access-date=February 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227040340/https://www.metmuseum.org/press/general-information/2016/gardens-at-the-met-cloisters |archive-date=February 27, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The museum is surrounded by the circular park drive, and its site is bounded by many plantings including an apple orchard to the south and denser vegetation to the north and west. A driveway and a bus stop with [[Belgian block]]s is located at the northeastern portion of the site.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" />

The museum was created after John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased the medieval art collection of George Grey Barnard,<ref>{{cite book |page=38 |last1=Hayward |first1=Jane |last2=Shepard |first2=Mary |last3=Clark |first3=Cynthia |title=English and French Medieval Stained Glass in the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art |date=October 2012 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-30019-318-3}}</ref> and gave it to the Met along with his own collection.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> Rockefeller, retaining Bernard as an advisor, decided that Fort Tryon Park was the most suitable place for the collection.<ref name="Siple"/> The Met then had the Cloisters built in Rockefeller's newly created Fort Tryon Park with endowment money from Rockefeller.<ref name="Husband p. 6,26">{{harvnb|ps=.|Husband|2008|pp=6, 26}}</ref><ref>"The Opening of the Cloisters". ''The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin'', Volume 21, No. 5, 1926. pp. 113–116</ref> The Cloisters opened to the public in 1938.<ref name="NYTimes-Opened-1938"/> A northern extension to the Cloisters, [[The Fuentidueña Apse]], was completed in 1961.<ref name="Barnet p. 18">{{harvnb|ps=.|Barnet|Wu|2005|p=18}}</ref>

=== Linden Terrace ===
[[File:Flag base at Fort Tryon Park.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|alt=The base of the flagstaff on Linden Terrace, at the place where Fort Tryon stood|The base of the flagstaff on Linden Terrace, at the place where Fort Tryon stood]]
The David Rockefeller Linden Terrace is located at the Promenade's northern end, on the site of Fort Tryon and Tryon Hall.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> The terrace is located {{Convert|268|ft|m|abbr=}} above sea level, the highest location in Fort Tryon Park.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> It is also the highest landscape feature on Manhattan Island, as measured by the distance between ground level and sea level.<ref name="NYT-FYI"/> However, Linden Terrace is not the island's highest natural point, which is located within Bennett Park a few blocks south, {{Convert|265|ft||abbr=}} above sea level.<ref name="NYT-FYI">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/03/nyregion/fyi-419869.html |title=F.y.i. |last=Stolz |first=Martin |date=August 3, 1997 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929160418/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/03/nyregion/fyi-419869.html |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Linden Terrace is supported with stone retaining walls of up to {{Convert|40|ft||abbr=}} tall. It comprises a main observation deck and the smaller Northeast Terrace, which are linked by an arch across a passageway below.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> In the early 21st century the terrace was renamed after John D. Rockefeller Jr's last surviving child [[David Rockefeller|David]], who had donated $1 million toward the park.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/sites/david-rockefeller-linden-terrace/ |title=David Rockefeller Linden Terrace |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust |language=en-US |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143549/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/sites/david-rockefeller-linden-terrace/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The main portion contains a terraced seating area with elms.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> There is plaque installed in 1935 that recognizes John Rockefeller Jr's donation of the parkland,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/537 |title=Fort Tryon Park Tablet |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date=June 26, 1939 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143554/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/537 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as another plaque installed in 2010 honoring David's donation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/2099 |title=David Rockefeller Linden Terrace Plaque |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date=June 26, 1939 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143549/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/2099 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Northeast Terrace, also known as Flagpole Terrace, includes a [[flag]]staff with a granite-and-bronze [[pedestal]].<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/535 |title=Fort Tryon Park Flagstaff |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date=June 26, 1939 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143551/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/535 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The original flagstaff installed by Olmsted was toppled during [[Hurricane Sandy]] in 2012 and was replaced with a replica.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130419/washington-heights/downed-fort-tryon-park-flagpole-be-replaced-officials-say |title=Downed Fort Tryon Park Flagpole to Be Replaced, Officials Say |last=Chiwaya |first=Nigel |date=April 19, 2013 |website=DNAinfo New York |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143557/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130419/washington-heights/downed-fort-tryon-park-flagpole-be-replaced-officials-say/ |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The retaining wall north of Linden Terrace contains a [[stele]] called the Fort Tryon Memorial. The stele predates the park, having been installed in 1904<ref name="NYC Parks Fort Tryon Memorial">{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/533 |title=Fort Tryon Memorial |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date=June 26, 1939 |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925152040/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/monuments/533 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> or 1909<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> to a design by [[Charles Rollinson Lamb]]. The monument was donated by C. K. G. Billings and the [[American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society]]. It contains an inscription commemorating Corbin's and the Maryland and Virginia regiments' defense during the battle on Forest Hill in 1776.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref name="NYC Parks Fort Tryon Memorial" />

=== Billings estate ===
{{multiple image
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| perrow = 2
| image1 = 2014 Fort Tryon Park Cottage.jpg
| caption1 = The cottage
| alt1 = The cottage, a one-story structure with a red roof
| image2 = 2014 Fort Tryon Park Billings Arcade from north.jpg
| caption2 = The Billings Arcade
| alt2 = The Billings Arcade, an arched arcade
| image3 = 2018 Fort Tryon Park - Billings Lawn.jpg
| caption3 = The Billings Lawn
| alt3 = The Billings Lawn, a small lawn
| image4 = 2014 Fort Tryon Park Billings Estate gate columns.jpg
| caption4 = Granite posts
| alt4 = Granite posts leading to the former Billings estate
}}

There are numerous remnants of the C. K. G. Billings estate. The Fort Tryon Cottage, located on a slope just northwest of Corbin Circle, was originally a gatehouse for the estate.<ref name="renner" /> The structure is made of frame and stucco<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> and contains three floors with a dining room and kitchen, as well as a patio. The cottage is NYC Parks' northern Manhattan headquarters and is closed to the public except for one weekend per year.<ref name="Young 20162">{{cite web |url=https://untappedcities.com/2016/10/18/a-glimpse-inside-fort-tryon-cottage-remnant-of-a-millionaires-vanished-estate-in-washington-heights/ |title=A Glimpse Inside Fort Tryon Cottage, Remnant of a Millionaire's Vanished Estate in Washington Heights |last=Young |first=Jennifer |date=October 18, 2016 |website=Untapped Cities |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925152039/https://untappedcities.com/2016/10/18/a-glimpse-inside-fort-tryon-cottage-remnant-of-a-millionaires-vanished-estate-in-washington-heights/ |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Another extant remnant of the estate is the partially paved-over red-brick pathways near Corbin Circle. It was originally a {{Convert|1600|ft|m|-long|abbr=|adj=mid}} serpentine driveway with multiple switchbacks that continued down to Riverside Drive, now the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway. The brick was intended to help horses ascend the driveway's 6% slope. By 1936, when the park was built, the driveway had been converted into a pedestrian path.<ref name="Gray 1996" /><ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> Though the gates to the driveway were removed, the granite posts were left standing.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> An overgrown section of the driveway used to connect with the northbound Henry Hudson Parkway, but in 1994, the [[New York State Department of Transportation]] added a [[Jersey barrier]] to block off access to the driveway.<ref name="Gray 1996" />

The driveway continued down through the massively arched structure known as the Billings Arcade. The arcade features five {{convert|50|ft|m|-tall|adj=mid}} arches built of granite from Maine. Atop the arcade is a small open area known as the Billings Lawn.<ref name="Gray 1996" /><ref name="renner" /><ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> The arcade cost $250,000 to construct, {{Inflation|index=US|value=250000|start_year=1908|r=-3|fmt=eq}}.<ref name="Gray 1996" />

=== Concession building ===
[[File:2014 Fort Tryon Park New Leaf restaurant rear.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|alt=Two-story stone concession building|Concession building]]

The park's concession building is located north of Margaret Corbin Circle, on the western side of Corbin Drive. The two-story stone structure is located in a slope. It contains a [[hip roof]] made of slate and open pavilions on all sides except the southern facade. The building's main entrance is through an arcade with three arches on the eastern facade. Originally, the building contained a cafe with refreshments, as well as restrooms and the headquarters for park staff.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" />

The building, having fallen into disrepair, was closed after a fire in 1976.<ref name="NYDN-Cafe-1978" /> It was restored beginning in 1995 by Bette Midler's nonprofit organization NYRP. The organization was awarded the operation of the concession in 2000, and opened the New Leaf Café – later called the New Leaf Restaurant and Bar – the next year.<ref name="New Leaf Website" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/22/dining/food-stuff-above-the-hudson-a-limestone-oasis.html |title=Food Stuff; Above the Hudson, a Limestone Oasis |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |date=August 22, 2001 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 25, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925152848/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/22/dining/food-stuff-above-the-hudson-a-limestone-oasis.html |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> NYC Parks closed the building for necessary roof repairs in December 2014, and NYRP announced that it would not reopen, due to the length of time the repairs would take and the increased rent that the organization would have to pay.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uptown's New Leaf Restaurant and Wedding Venue to Abruptly Close |website=DNAinfo New York |date=December 24, 2014 |last=Armstrong |first=Linda |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141224/hudson-heights/uptowns-new-leaf-restaurant-wedding-venue-abruptly-close |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107090813/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141224/hudson-heights/uptowns-new-leaf-restaurant-wedding-venue-abruptly-close |archive-date=January 7, 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=September 25, 2019}}</ref>  The operation of the restaurant was taken over in late April 2015 by [[Coffeed]], a Queens-based cafe which donates a portion of its revenue to local charities.<ref name="NYDN-Coffeed-2015" /> The restaurant closed again in January 2020 after Coffeed's contract expired.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quinn |first=Anna |date=March 5, 2020 |title=City Searches Again For New Leaf Replacement In Fort Tryon Park |url=https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/city-searches-again-new-leaf-replacement-fort-tryon-park |url-status=live |access-date=November 10, 2021 |website=Washington Heights-Inwood, NY Patch |language=en |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110170005/https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/city-searches-again-new-leaf-replacement-fort-tryon-park}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New Leaf Restaurant and Bar |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/sites/the-new-leaf-restaurant-and-bar/ |access-date=November 10, 2021 |website=Fort Tryon Park Trust |language=en-US |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110170008/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/sites/the-new-leaf-restaurant-and-bar/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Other structures ===
[[File:2015 Fort Tryon Park The Gazebo from below 1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|alt=The park's gazebo, as seen from a pathway below|The park's gazebo, as seen from a pathway below]]

The Shelter Overlook, an octagonal gazebo, is located east of Corbin Drive at the northeast corner of Sir William's Dog Run. It originally contained a tile roof, later replaced with a slate roof after a fire. The roof is supported by stone piers.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> The gazebo is frequented by those using the dog run.<ref name="NYCgo dog run"/>

A two-story brick ventilation building for the subway is also located within the park at Broadway and Dongan Place. There are also two comfort stations in the park. The first is a structure at Broadway and Sherman Avenue that looks like a cottage, while the second is located inside a slope north of the Cloisters.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" />

== Wildlife ==
Cabrini Woods hosts 80 bird species as well as possums, raccoons, and skunks.<ref name="Ft Tryon Cabrini Woods"/> The surrounding area also hosts a wide variety of birds, including common species such as [[blue jay]]s and [[Northern cardinal|cardinals]]; [[wild turkey]]s; and [[bird of prey|birds of prey]] including [[red-tailed hawk]]s and [[owl]]s. Animals within the area include Eastern and [[meadow vole]]s, red-bellied [[salamander]]s, [[southern flying squirrel]]s, [[opossum]]s, white-footed [[deer mice]], and [[cottontail rabbit]]s, as well as [[eastern gray squirrel]]s and [[raccoon]]s.<ref>{{cite concrete |page=34-35}}</ref>

== Management <span class="anchor" id="Fort Tryon Park Trust"></span> ==
The '''Fort Tryon Park Trust''' is a [[nonprofit organization]] that helps maintain and improve Fort Tryon Park. It was founded in 1998 as the '''Heather Garden Committee Endowment'''.<ref name="timeline" /> Their [[mission statement]] is to "promote the restoration, preservation, and enhancement of this historic and scenic landmark for the benefit and use of the surrounding community and all New Yorkers and visitors."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/about-us/mission-statement/ |title=Mission Statement |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102065658/http://www.forttryonparktrust.org/index.html |url-status=live |archive-date=January 2, 2010 |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust}}</ref> The trust secured numerous grants to maintain various parts of the park.<ref name="timeline" />

== Transportation ==
[[File:190th Street subway station from Corbin Circle.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Stone building for the 190th Street subway station|[[190th Street station]] building]]
The [[New York City Subway]]'s [[IND Eighth Avenue Line]] ({{NYCS trains|Eighth far north}}) runs directly underneath Fort Tryon Park.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> It contains two stations serving the park: the [[Dyckman Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)|Dyckman Street station]] at Broadway, Riverside Drive, and Dyckman Street on the far northeast corner of the park, and the [[190th Street station]] at Corbin Circle in the park's far southeast end.<ref name="encnyc" /><ref name="submap">{{NYCS const|map}}</ref><ref name="manbus"/>

Several bus routes serve Fort Tryon Park. The northern terminals of the {{NYC bus link|M4|M98|prose=y}} buses are at Corbin Circle,<ref name="manbus">{{cite NYC bus map|M}}</ref> though the M4 bus is extended into the park to serve the Cloisters when the museum is open.<ref name="manbus2">{{cite NYC bus map|M2}}</ref> Additionally, the {{NYC bus link|M100|Bx7|prose=y}} buses serve Broadway on the park's eastern border.<ref name="manbus"/><ref>{{cite NYC bus map|Bx}}</ref>

== Use and significance ==

=== Historic significance ===
There have been numerous archeological findings in Fort Tryon Park since 1918.<ref name="NYCL p. 12">{{harvnb|Shockley|Baugher|1983|ps=.|p=12}}</ref> That year, [[Alanson Skinner]], an archeologist with the [[National Museum of the American Indian]], discovered "traces of Indian shell heaps, fireplaces, and pits, indicating an ancient camping ground".<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Skinner |first=Alanson |year=1920 |title=Archeological investigations on Manhattan island, New York city |url=https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/archeologicalinv00skin |journal=Indian Notes and Monographs |publisher=Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation |location=New York |volume=2 |page=137 |access-date=September 26, 2019 |via=Smithsonian Libraries |number=6 |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926013224/https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/archeologicalinv00skin |url-status=live}}</ref> The historian Reginald Pelham Bolton wrote in 1924 that the intersection of 194th Street and Broadway may have been used as a seasonal camp, as evidenced by the presence of debris from the pre-colonial era underneath the overhangs in Fort Tryon Park between 194th and 198th Streets.<ref name="Rubinson Winter 1988">{{cite web |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/arch_reports/471.pdf |title=Stage IA Block 2172, Lot 64 / 60 Nagle Avenue Inwood, Manhattan for YM-YWHA of Washington Heights / CEQR No. 88 – 194- M |last1=Rubinson |first1=Karen S. |last2=Winter |first2=Frederick A |date=November 15, 1988 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917072917/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/arch_reports/471.pdf |archive-date=September 17, 2017 |access-date=July 28, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|13}}<ref name="Bolton 1924">{{cite book |last=Bolton |first=Reginald Pelham |title=Washington Heights, Manhattan, Its Eventful Past |publisher=author and sold |year=1924 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QzfKngEACAAJ |access-date=September 28, 2019 |archive-date=May 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508192105/https://books.google.com/books?id=QzfKngEACAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|5}} It is unclear whether the subway excavations of the 1930s disturbed any shells or other materials,<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> but despite the construction during that era, many materials are still buried in the ground.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> In the 1970s, Michael Cohn of the [[Brooklyn Children's Museum]] found oyster and clam shells as well as pottery shards and "projectile points".<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> Other excavations have found artifacts from the 17th and 18th centuries, including war artifacts up to {{Convert|10|ft||abbr=}} below ground level.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" />

Together, the park and the Cloisters were listed as an [[historic district]] on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978.<ref name="NPS p. 1"/> The Cloisters had been designated a [[New York City landmark]] in 1974,<ref name="nycland" /><ref name="NYCL-Cloisters">{{cite web |url=http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/THE-CLOISTERS.pdf |title=The Cloisters |date=March 19, 1974 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803163121/http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/THE-CLOISTERS.pdf |archive-date=August 3, 2012 |access-date=December 27, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> while Fort Tryon Park was designated a scenic landmark in 1983.<ref name="nycland" /><ref name="NYCL-FtTryon">{{harvnb|ps=.|Shockley|Baugher|1983}}</ref>

=== Public use and perception ===
In 2012, an examination of [[Twitter|tweets]] and [[emoticon]]s determined that Fort Tryon Park was "the happiest spot in Manhattan".<ref>{{cite web |last=Chiwaya |first=Nigel |title=Fort Tryon Park is the Happiest Spot in Manhattan, Study Finds |website=DNAinfo New York |date=August 22, 2013 |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130822/hudson-heights/fort-tryon-park-is-happiest-spot-manhattan-study-finds |access-date=September 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929032132/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130822/hudson-heights/fort-tryon-park-is-happiest-spot-manhattan-study-finds/ |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Because of its secluded location, the park is frequently used for wedding photographs and ceremonies, though the park remains open to the public while these events take place.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/nyregion/10wedding.html |title=Marrying in Fort Tryon Park? Expect Dog Walkers |last=Haughney |first=Christine |date=October 8, 2010 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929160416/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/nyregion/10wedding.html |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> On the other hand, Fort Tryon Park has historically been used as a location for sexual intercourse due to this seclusion, and in some years, [[New York City Police Department]] officers would issue summons once a week. However, since the 2000s and 2010s, summons for public intercourse have decreased greatly.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/nyregion/sex-in-parks.html |title=Sex in New York City Parks? It's Less of a Thing Than It Used to Be |last=Goodman |first=J. David |date=February 22, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 13, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512145632/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/nyregion/sex-in-parks.html |archive-date=May 12, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Fort Tryon Park Trust helps fund programs for all ages like [[yoga]] and [[tai chi]] classes, live outdoor concerts, and bird walks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/events |title=Fort Tryon Park Events |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830014557/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/events |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/whats-on-the-calendar/ |title=What's on the Calendar |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust |access-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925214253/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/whats-on-the-calendar/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Trust also supports local artists' displays within the park, facilitated by the New York City Parks Temporary Public Art Program.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/pressrelease/21563 |date=May 10, 2018 |title=New Public Art Installation On The Cloisters Lawn Brings Suits Of Armor Into The Open Air In Fort Tryon Park |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830014540/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/pressrelease/21563 |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |access-date=September 25, 2019}}</ref>

Fort Tryon Park also hosts several annual events.<ref name="Ft Tryon Major Events">{{cite web |url=https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/major-events/ |title=Annual Events and Festivals |publisher=Fort Tryon Park Trust |access-date=September 29, 2019 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925143624/https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/major-events/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Medieval Festival, an annual event that has taken place at the park since 1983,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/05/nyregion/taking-the-a-train-to-the-middle-ages.html |title=Taking the A Train to the Middle Ages |last1=Speers |first1=Landon |date=October 5, 2018 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 29, 2019 |last2=Leland |first2=John |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929160414/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/05/nyregion/taking-the-a-train-to-the-middle-ages.html |archive-date=September 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> typically takes place at the end of September and draws an average of 60,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |quote=The festival draws an average crowd of about 60,000 people from all over the city. |url=https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/uptown-medieval-festival-drawn-tens-thousands-organizers |title=Medieval Festival Will Draw Tens of Thousands Uptown |first=Brendan |last=Krisel |date=August 16, 2018 |access-date=March 17, 2020 |website=patch.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317205829/https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/uptown-medieval-festival-drawn-tens-thousands-organizers |archive-date=March 17, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name = medievalfest>{{cite web |url=http://whidc.org/festival/ |title=The Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park |publisher=Washington Heights and Inwood Development Corporation |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113022053/http://whidc.org/festival/ |archive-date=January 13, 2020 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |url=http://whidc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/MedievalFestivalProgram_2019_spreads-new.pdf |title=Medieval Festival Program (2019) |publisher=Washington Heights and Inwood Development Corporation |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113022313/http://whidc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/MedievalFestivalProgram_2019_spreads-new.pdf |archive-date=January 13, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, Open House New York hosts the Annual Open House New York Weekend each October, collaborating with the Fort Tryon Park Trust to give tours of the Billings cottage and the Heather Garden.<ref name="Young 20162" /> Other annual events include the "Shearing of the Heather" in April, the "Urban Wildlife Festival", the remembrance of the Battle of Fort Washington in November, the Scandia Symphony concert in June, the Harvest Festival in October, and "A Toast to Fort Tryon" each summer.<ref name="Ft Tryon Major Events" />

=== In media ===
Several films contain footage shot in Fort Tryon Park or the Cloisters. In 1948, director [[Maya Deren]] used the Cloisters' ramparts as a backdrop for her experimental film ''Meditation on Violence''. The same year, the film ''[[Portrait of Jennie]]'' used the Cloisters as the location for a convent school. Additionally, two scenes in the 1968 film ''[[Coogan's Bluff (film)|Coogan's Bluff]]'' were filmed in Fort Tryon Park: a shoot-out at the Cloisters and a motorcycle chase in the Heather Garden.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/now-at-the-met/features/2013/cloisters-in-popular-culture |title=The Cloisters in Popular Culture: "Time in This Place Does Not Obey an Order" |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=2013 |access-date=September 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505134107/http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/now-at-the-met/features/2013/cloisters-in-popular-culture |archive-date=May 5, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Scenes from the 2011 film ''[[The Adjustment Bureau]]'' were also filmed in Fort Tryon Park.<ref>{{cite news |author=Zanoni, Carla |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20110309/washington-heights-inwood/fort-tryon-park-stars-adjustment-bureau |title=Fort Tryon Park Stars in 'The Adjustment Bureau' |newspaper=DNAinfo.com |date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=June 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217211101/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20110309/washington-heights-inwood/fort-tryon-park-stars-adjustment-bureau |archive-date=December 17, 2013}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|New York City|NRHP}}
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan above 110th Street]]
* [[List of New York City scenic landmarks]]
* [[List of parks in New York City]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan above 110th Street]]

{{-}}

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* {{cite book |title=The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture |last1=Barnet |first1=Peter |last2=Wu |first2=Nancy Y. |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-58839-176-6 |location=New York, NY |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/cloistersmedieva00barn}}
* {{cite book |title=Native American place names in New York City |last=Grumet |first=Robert |publisher=Museum of the City of New York Produced by Pub. Center for Cultural Resources |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-89062-109-7 |location=New York |oclc=7553276}}
* {{cite book |title=The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry |last=Husband |first=Timothy |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-58839-294-7 |location=New York, NY}}
* {{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/78001870.pdf |title=Historic Structures Report: Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters |year=1978 |publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service |ref={{sfnref|National Park Service|1978}}}}
* {{cite web |last1=Shockley |first1=Jay |last2=Baugher |first2=Sherene |name-list-style=amp |url=http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1983FortTryonPark.pdf |title=Fort Tryon Park |date=September 20, 1983 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |access-date=December 27, 2013 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165823/http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1983FortTryonPark.pdf |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite journal |last=Torrey |first=Raymond H. |year=1936 |title=Fort Tryon Park: a new and distinctive unit of the New York City park system, of unusual scenic and historic qualities, given by John D. Rockefeller |url=https://archive.org/details/forttryonparknew00torr |via=Internet Archive |journal=American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Fort Tryon Park}}
* [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/park_info_pages/park_info.php?propID=M029 Fort Tryon Park] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211204732/http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/park_info_pages/park_info.php?propID=M029 |date=February 11, 2021 }}) on the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation website
* [http://www.forttryonparktrust.org/  The Fort Tryon Park Trust]

{{Washington Heights, Manhattan}}
{{Protected areas of New York City}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan}}

[[Category:Forts in Manhattan|Tryon]]
[[Category:Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)|Tryon]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Inwood, Manhattan]]
[[Category:Landscape design history of the United States]]
[[Category:Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York (state) in the American Revolution]]
[[Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York City scenic landmarks]]
[[Category:Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Washington Heights, Manhattan]]