By: Benyamin Davidsons
Arlene Harrison, president of the Gramercy Park Block Association, is responsible for writing the rules of Manhattan’s only private park. Gramercy Park is banned to the public, only elites holding a key may enter. Harrison’s long-time nemesis, Aldon James, the former president of the Gramercy Park National Arts Club, has complaints about her leadership. “Arlene’s making it too exclusive and hardly anyone comes here anymore,” James said. As reported by the NY Post, James accuses Harrison of enacting too many rules at the park. The rules forbid smoking, drinking alcohol, bike riding, taking photos, bringing a dog, playing sports, throwing a Frisbee, feeding wildlife, and more. “It’s outrageous,” James said, adding that there are news rules, including a ban on any sort of music.
Created in 1831, the two-acre park is held in common by the residents of 39 surrounding townhouses, apartment buildings, and clubs. Access is only available to those residents who pay $350 for an individual key, or building residents of neighboring buildings which pay $10,000 for two keys. The park is managed by five trustees of the Gramercy Park Trust. Harrison, 78, leads them, and patrols the grounds almost daily, with clipboard in hand.
Harrison, who calls herself the “mayor of Gramercy Park,” has also drawn ire for the six-figure salary she draws from the position. As per tax filings, in 2019, she made $119,312. In 2015, when there was $368,966 in donations, her salary was $165,385. Harrison has responded to say that she works 70 hours a week at the park. The Post, which got a tour of the park, also reported that the park seemed unkempt.
“All my friends in the area tell me they only see her out there in the morning for an hour or so at a time sitting around,” James said. “I’ve never seen her there 70 hours a week. She hasn’t picked up a rake or a shovel. They have cameras all over the park. Get the video from them. Can they prove she’s there 70 hours a week? I’d lay my life down to say no.”
The feud between James and Harrison is long lived. In 2000, James helped lead a field trip to the park for minority kids from a nearby public school. He said one of the trustees reported it to the police saying, ‘this is a private trust not for these kind of kids.” A federal lawsuit erupted and each of the ousted children was paid a hefty settlement, but they were still not allowed to return onto the park’s grounds.
