Friends of Morningside Park
We are a volunteer community-based coalition of residents and institutions dedicated to preserving and improving, our important historic park.
Our Mission and Purpose
- To rehabilitate Morningside Park in the City of New York in accordance with the ideals of the park's designer, Frederick Law Olmsted, and to organize, propose, and oversee rehabilitative projects that will preserve the Olmstedian landscape and/or maintain facilities within Morningside Park.
- To promote and perpetuate the sociological and philosophical intentions of the renowned landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, through, but not exclusively through, clause 1 above.
- To work closely with the Morningside Park community to establish and promote various facilities and functions within Morningside Park.
Our History
In 1981 a Columbia University undergraduate named Tom Kiel saw the deteriorating condition of our historic Olmsted designed park. He began organizing meetings and park cleanups. At the time, the Parks Dept. was getting ready to implement large scale changes to the park which would have obliterated much of the remaining Olmsted design. Along with several other Columbia students, Tom formed the Friends of Morningside Park to halt these changes and fight for park restoration in keeping with Olmsted's design priniciples. Incorporated in 1982, the Mission of the Friends of Morningside Park has not changed to this day.
Although Tom Kiel died tragically in 1996, his work continues and we are very fortunate to have members of his family, members of the original Board, and volunteers from our early years still supporting our mission.
We maintain an archive of articles about Tom and the early work of our organization. Please use the links in the right hand column of this page to read the articles.
