200 East 69th Street

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The brass-colored gates at the entrance to this residential plaza on the north side of East 68th Street east of Third Avenue are the best clue that this is a Trump space, in accord with the developer’s public embrace of brass appointments. Inside, the square plaza is large and uncomplicated. A substantial planter occupies the center, with colorful flowers, plants, and four corner trees, encircled by backed granite benches. Planters with mature overhanging trees and more granite benches line east and west sides of the space. With plentiful sunlight and abundant seating, users are usually able to customize their public space experience for sun or shade during much of the day.

Situated at the back of Trump Palace, with service entry and trash bin but no true secondary residential entrance, the plaza feels detached from its host tower. Natural opportunities for contact between members of the public and the community of private residents are lost. Thus, it is interesting to compare the qualities of this space with another Trump-developed residential plaza, at Trump Plaza, that by design commingles residents and members of the public to the evident advantage of both.

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4 User Submissions

  1. submitted by: Alex Dashev

    The Plaza is not particularly welcoming. In fact, I struggled to find it. I asked the bellhop at Trump Palace about it, and he didn’t know it existed. After walking around, I realized it was located in the back of the building and gated in, with two openings. there were two clear signs that stated this was a public space, however it seemed secluded and unlikely many people would accidentally stumble upon it and walk in.
    It was surrounded on 3 sides by buildings and by a gate on the other. Immediately when you walk in there is plenty of seating . The granite seating is 1.6 feet tall with backing that is 1.5 feet. These are comfortable and all surround a square of vegetation. However, some of the plants go over the bench, and partially restrict where people would want to sit. The space met all the necessary requirements (Trees, water fountain, signage, bike racks). However, bike and scooter riding was not allowed in the park. Overall it was a nice quiet place, but everyone was seated and only engaged with whom they had entered the park. The park feels remote, which is part of the appeal, but also makes it difficult to find as it located in the back of the building, and on a street with less foot traffic. If it had a more inviting entrance, I think it would get even more visitors from the public.