Morningside Park

Morningside Park may refer to:

Populated places

Recreational areas

Morningside Park (New York City)

Coordinates: 40°48′22″N 73°57′31″W / 40.806225°N 73.95848°W / 40.806225; -73.95848

Morningside Park is a New York City public park primarily located in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The 30-acre (12 ha) area occupies 110th to 123rd Streets from Morningside Avenue to Morningside Drive at the border between Harlem and Morningside Heights.

Morningside Park's distinctive natural geography is a rugged cliff of Manhattan schist rock. The park came into existence as a cost-saving measure to avoid the expense of extending the street grid across difficult terrain. It is operated by New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

Features

The park is one of several promoted by Andrew Haswell Green that owes much of its design to Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Twentieth century additions include playgrounds, basketball courts, and softball diamonds. Other features include:

Morningside Park (Toronto)

Morningside Park is a regional park located in Scarborough, part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Toronto's largest park.

Description

The park occupies most of the deep valley of Highland Creek where it borders the communities of West Hill and Highland Creek. Spanning 241.46 hectares (596.7 acres), the park includes picnic areas, public washrooms, parking and footpaths which connect to nearby communities and the Waterfront Trail on Lake Ontario. The park is bounded by Morningside Avenue on the east, Ellesmere Road on the north and Lawrence Avenue East to the south. Together with the University of Toronto Scarborough lands east of Morningside Avenue and Colonel Danforth Park, the park is part of a continuous forested corridor along the lower reaches of Highland Creek. The park features a high degree of urban wilderness compared to other parks in Toronto, with deer, eroded cliffs and a remnant forest.

History

The valley of Highland Creek was at one point a settlement. After World War II, a shortage in housing resulted in many new residences being built from cottages. However, an increase in settlers was becoming problematic as contaminated wells, evictions, and home demolition were contentious issues in the post-war period. Living conditions were further complicated by the steep slopes and flat floodplain of the Highland Creek further in the area as residents and their cottages were regularly threatened by flash flooding. In 1954, severe damage from Hurricane Hazel led to the removal of housing in the area. Public ownership of floodplain land was established to prevent further development. The area eventually turned into parklands and wildlife was restored.