In a borough where outdoor space is precious and public parks are perpetually crowded, Manhattan harbors several green spaces that most people can never enter. These private parks are protected by locked gates and strict membership requirements. They represent some of the city’s oldest and most exclusive real estate arrangements. They are remnants of an era when urban planning prioritized privilege over public access.
Gramercy Park is the most famous and visible of these forbidden gardens. It sits at the center of one of Manhattan’s most elegant neighborhoods. This two-acre park is surrounded by an iron fence that has been locked since 1844. Only residents of the 39 buildings directly facing the park hold keys. Just 383 keys exist in total. Each is a symbol of membership in one of the city’s most exclusive clubs.
The park’s history begins in 1831. Samuel B. Ruggles, a lawyer and real estate developer, purchased 22 acres of swampland between 20th Street and 21st Street. The area was known as “Gramercy.” This was an anglicization of the Dutch “krom moerasje,” meaning “crooked little swamp.” Ruggles spent $180,000 draining the marsh and laying out 66 residential lots around a central green space. That’s equivalent to over $5 million today.
Ruggles’ innovation was to deed the park itself to the property owners forever. This created America’s first residential development centered on a private park. The fence went up in 1833, and the gate was locked in 1844. The original keys were made of solid gold.
Today, getting a Gramercy Park key requires purchasing property in one of the surrounding buildings. Each building on the park pays an annual assessment fee of $7,500 per lot, which grants two keys. Additional lots mean additional fees and keys. Buildings that fail to pay lose their key privileges entirely.
The rules inside Gramercy Park are equally strict. No alcohol, no smoking, and no bicycles. No dogs (despite the neighborhood’s affluent dog-owning population), no sports, and no Frisbees. No feeding birds or squirrels, and no photography, especially for commercial use. The park is essentially a 19th-century gentleman’s garden frozen in time.
The public can enter exactly once per year. On Christmas Eve, the gates open for a caroling event. Guests of the Gramercy Park Hotel can also access the park, escorted by hotel staff. Though the hotel was closed during the pandemic and has been closed for renovation. When it reopens, this route may again provide a legal path behind the iron fence.
Inside the park stands a statue of Edwin Booth. He was the famous Shakespearean actor and brother of John Wilkes Booth. Edwin founded The Players club at 16 Gramercy Park South in 1888. This is one of several elite clubs surrounding the park that hold their own keys. The National Arts Club, The Brotherhood Synagogue, and Calvary-St. George’s Church also have access.
Sunnyside Gardens Park in Queens is New York’s only other private park, though it lacks Gramercy’s fame and mystique. Residents of the surrounding Sunnyside Gardens planned community share access to a central green space under similarly exclusive arrangements.
Beyond fully private parks, Manhattan contains numerous privately owned public spaces (POPS) where access is technically guaranteed but practically limited. These plazas and atriums were created through zoning bonuses. It allowed developers to build larger buildings in exchange for public amenities, but they often feel less than welcoming. Some are hidden inside office buildings, which are accessible only during business hours. Others are designed to discourage lingering through hostile architecture. Benches have armrests that prevent lying down, surfaces that stay wet, and security guards who move people along.
Tudor City, the residential complex near the United Nations, maintains several private gardens that are accessible only to building residents. The development was built in the 1920s with an inward-facing design. Its small parks and courtyards are hidden from the street and reserved for those who live there.
The private park phenomenon reflects Manhattan’s constant tension between public good and private wealth. Every locked gate represents a choice made generations ago. It reserves green space for the few rather than the many. Advocates have periodically pushed to open Gramercy Park to the public, arguing that tax-exempt status should require public access. So far, the trustees have resisted, and the gates remain locked.
The neighborhood around Gramercy Park has attracted notable residents for generations. Actor Edwin Booth, who founded The Players club, lived and died at 16 Gramercy Park South. Writer O. Henry allegedly wrote “The Gift of the Magi” at Pete’s Tavern on Irving Place, just steps from the park. More recently, Jimmy Fallon owned an apartment overlooking the private green space.
Irving Place itself is the short street running south from the park to 14th Street. It was named for Washington Irving, author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The literary connection persists in local establishments like The Headless Horseman pub, named for Irving’s famous creation.
The park’s rules have stayed remarkably consistent since the 1840s. A fantasy fountain sculpture by Greg Wyatt was installed in 1983. It’s one of the few additions to the carefully maintained landscape. The gardeners who tend the space work to preserve its 19th-century character. No modern playground equipment, no sports facilities, and no concessions.
Some residents of key-holding buildings report that the privilege feels more burdensome than expected. The park’s strict hours, extensive rules, and constant surveillance by neighbors make casual enjoyment difficult. Children must be accompanied and supervised. Dogs are entirely prohibited. This is a particular hardship in a dog-loving city. The fantasy of private green space collides with the reality of heavily regulated access.
