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Gramercy Park

Union Square, Flatiron District & Gramercy


Romantic Gramercy Park was created by Samuel Ruggles in 1831 after he drained the area’s swamp and laid out streets in an English style. You can’t enter the private park (the only one in Manhattan), but peer through the gate and imagine tough-guy James Cagney enjoying it – the Hollywood actor once resided at 34 Gramercy Park E. At 15 Gramercy Park S stands the National Arts Club, whose members include Martin Scorsese, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Union Square, Flatiron District & Gramercy attractions

1. National Arts Club

0.05 MILES

Founded in 1898 to promote public interest in the arts, the National Arts Club holds art exhibitions, with free admission to the public during weekdays;…

2. Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

0.18 MILES

This National Historic Site is a bit of a cheat, since the physical house where the 26th president was actually born was demolished in his own lifetime…

3. Lord & Taylor Building

0.23 MILES

On the southwestern corner of Broadway and E 20th St stands the old Lord & Taylor Building, former home of the famous Midtown department store (now a…

4. Metropolitan Life Tower

0.24 MILES

Completed in 1909, this 700ft-high clock tower soaring above Madison Square Park’s southeastern corner is the work of Napoleon LeBrun, a Philadelphia-born…

5. Union Square Greenmarket

0.25 MILES

Don’t be surprised if you spot some of New York’s top chefs prodding the produce here: Union Square’s green market is arguably the city’s most famous…

6. Union Square

0.29 MILES

Union Square is like the Noah’s Ark of New York, rescuing at least two of every kind from the curling seas of concrete. In fact, one would be hard pressed…

7. Flatiron Building

0.29 MILES

Designed by Daniel Burnham and built in 1902, the 20-story Flatiron Building has a narrow triangular footprint that resembles the prow of a massive ship…

8. Madison Square Park

0.31 MILES

This park defined the northern reaches of Manhattan until the island’s population exploded after the Civil War. These days it’s a much-welcome oasis from…