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In 1969, Abby Rockefeller Mauze founded the Greenacre Foundation. Two years later, the foundation built Greenacre Park, a "vest-pocket" park following the model of nearby Paley Park. These small, efficiently-planned parks became popular because they could fit into tiny, dense urban spaces where a larger park might not be affordable. Designed by Hideo Sasaki, former chairman of Harvard's Landscape Architecture Department, Greenacre is only 60 feet by 120 feet.

Greenacre Park (image from newyork.com)

Greenacre Park (image from newyork.com)

Greenacre Park waterfall (image from sasaki.com)

Greenacre Park waterfall (image from sasaki.com)

Greenacre Park waterfall (image from sasaki.com)

Greenacre Park waterfall (image from sasaki.com)

Greenacre Park (image from the Project for Public Spaces)

Greenacre Park (image from the Project for Public Spaces)

Plan view of Greenacre Park (image from sasaki.com)

Plan view of Greenacre Park (image from sasaki.com)
In 1969, Abby Rockefeller Mauze founded the Greenacre Foundation. Two years later, the foundation built Greenacre Park, a "vest-pocket" park following the model of nearby Paley Park. These small, efficiently-planned parks became popular because they could fit into tiny, dense urban spaces where a larger park might not be affordable. Designed by Hideo Sasaki, former chairman of Harvard's Landscape Architecture Department, Greenacre is only 60 feet by 120 feet.

The design maximizes use of the small space through a series of terraces, seating walls, trellises, and lush plantings. The canopy of honey locust trees allows sunlight in, but provides a sheltered feeling. An overlook terrace is topped with acrylic domes and provides lighting and radiant heating for the garden below. One wall of the park is a granite relief sculpture and water feature, and the focal point of the park is a 25-foot waterfall, which mutes the noise of traffic.


GreenAcre Park. Project For Public Spaces. Accessed Web, 5/6/17. http://placemaking.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=70.

GreenAcre Park. The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Accessed Web, 5/6/17. https://tclf.org/landscapes/greenacre-park.

Greenacre Park. Sasaki. Accessed Web, 5/6/17. http://www.sasaki.com/project/111/greenacre-park/.