Imagine a park where cherry blossoms reign supreme a place named Sakura Park. It is a public park in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in Manhattan. You will find it north of West 122nd Street. Riverside Drive and Claremont Avenue border it.
Sakura Park sits among notable neighbors. Riverside Church is to the south. The Manhattan School of Music is to the east. Grant’s Tomb and Riverside Park lie to the west. International House sits on its northern side. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation operates it.
Originally, it was called Claremont Park. This name came from Claremont Avenue on its east side. John D. Rockefeller owned the land. The City of New York bought it in 1896. It was to be an extension of Riverside Park.
In 1909, the Committee of Japanese Residents of New York gifted 2500 cherry blossom trees. This commemorated the Hudson–Fulton Celebration. Sadly, only 700 trees made it. The steamship carrying them was lost at sea. Many plants rotted. In 1912, the surviving trees were planted. They went to Riverside Park Central Park and the area around Sakura Park. The park was then renamed Sakura Park.
John D. Rockefeller Jr. provided funds for landscaping in 1932. This was part of the construction of Riverside Church. The renovation cost 350000 dollars. It was completed in 1934.
In 1960, the City of Tokyo gifted a stone lantern to the park. This happened when New York City became Tokyo’s sister city. Crown Prince Akihito later Emperor of Japan attended the dedication on October 10. He rededicated the lantern with his princess in 1987.
General Daniel Adams Butterfield has a statue in Sakura Park. He authored Taps. Gutzon Borglum created the larger-than-life-sized bronze statue. Borglum signed it on top of the general’s head. The statue faces Grant’s Tomb across Riverside Drive. It looks as if Butterfield is looking at the tomb.
Two walks lined with mature linden trees dominate the landscaping. Their branches meet overhead forming a leafy arcade. Between the walks is a lawn. A gazebo and cherry trees are also there. During the cherry blossom bloom people of Japanese ancestry celebrate Hanami. They spread picnic blankets under the trees. Bulbs precede the cherry bloom in spring. Snowdrops begin followed by tulips.
Claremont Avenue is dramatically lower in elevation to the east. A buttressed retaining wall runs the length of the park along Claremont Avenue. The wall is an ivy-covered copy of Kenilworth Abbey’s wall in England. The Olmsted Brothers firm built it in the 1930s as part of a park redesign.
Sakura Park stands as a testament to friendship history and natural beauty. It offers a peaceful retreat in the heart of New York City. Remember the cherry blossoms. Remember the gifts and the history they represent.