Wednesday's parting shot

A path through the Tompkins Square Park basketball courts today...

Sunday's parting shot

Photo by Kelley Ryan 

The snow in Tompkins Square Park is going... going...

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

Taking in the almost spring-like weather today in Tompkins Square Park...

Tompkins Sculpture Park

If you've yet to wander through Tompkins Square Park post–Great Blizzard (Feb. 22-23 edition), you're missing a surprisingly robust collection of snow sculptures. 

Thanks to Andy Bodor for documenting some of the artistry...

Sunday's parting shots

Photos by Susan Schiffman 

Scenes from in and around Tompkins Square Park tonight.

And ICYMI: A travel ban (for cars, trucks, bikes, etc.) is in effect until noon tomorrow.

Your turn to weigh in on Tompkins Square Park’s next round of upgrades

Residents have until Feb. 13 to submit comments about the latest proposed upgrades to Tompkins Square Park. 

During a virtual meeting last Thursday evening, NYC Parks kicked off the process for a reconstruction project involving the Tompkins Square Park mini-pool and basketball courts. 

Parks officials still want to hear from you, specifically: 

• What matters most to you in renovating the park? 

• What would you like to be able to do in the park that you can't do now? 

• What are the three most important improvements you want to see in the park? 

While these are more broad-ranging questions about the overall park, this is what's on the table for the 10th Street and Avenue B corner: "This project will demolish the existing above-ground mini pool and construct a new, expanded in-ground mini pool and reconstruct the basketball courts and adult fitness area." 

The mini pool would remain open only to kids and their guardians. (More background here about the funding.)

And the timeline is as follows, per the Parks website: 

• Design

The average time for design is 9-14 months. The design timeline for this specific contract will be established once the project scope is determined. 

• Procurement 

The average time for procurement is 9-12 months. The procurement timeline for this specific contract will be established at the conclusion of the design phase. 

• Construction 

The average time for construction is 12-18 months. The construction timeline for this specific contract will be established at the conclusion of the procurement phase. 

In other words, no time soon.

Submit your responses here.

Saturday's opening shot

In the frozen tundra of Tompkins Square Park, spring bulbs remain in progress. 

Wind chill advisory in effect again over the weekend, with WC lows as low as -10. 

We might be speaking for the entire class here: Ready for spring.

Crowdfunding effort moves to guard a tree around Tompkins Square Park

Here's an item about a small but meaningful win for Tompkins Square Park.

 A crowdfunding effort to protect one of the vulnerable trees along the perimeter of Tompkins Square Park is (as of last night) just a few dollars shy of its $2,000 goal. 

The campaign was organized by Zachary Thomas and Tal Roded, who serve together on Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee. Their goal: to install a durable metal tree guard around a Ginkgo tree on Seventh Street near Avenue B, which is currently exposed to the daily grind. 

Enter tree guards, which help protect against dog waste, vehicle and delivery damage, and soil compaction from foot traffic, all of which can slowly kill a tree. 

Last year, according to the GoFundMe, while walking the park's perimeter, Thomas noticed a troubling imbalance: of the 58 trees lining Tompkins Square Park, only seven had guards. That leaves nearly 90% exposed to damage every day. 

NYC Parks is prepared to install a guard, but with limited funding and street tree maintenance low on the priority list, the cost has fallen to the community. The quoted price for the fabrication and professional installation of a standard metal tree guard is $1,950 — a one-time investment that is meant to last for years. 

The campaign's success shows just how much neighbors care about the small details that keep the East Village green. It may only be one tree, but it's a step toward protecting the edges of Tompkins Square Park — one guard at a time. 

You can read more about this campaign in a Substack post by Thomas and Roded.

Virtual meeting set for Tompkins mini-pool and basketball courts redesign

Top photo by Stacie Joy 

Updated: You have until Feb. 13 to leave comments with Parks about this project.

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NYC Parks is kicking off the design process for a reconstruction project involving the Tompkins Square Park mini-pool and basketball courts — and there’s a virtual community meeting scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. 

According to Parks, the project will include a major change to the mini-pool: the current above-ground pool will be redesigned as an in-ground pool. Parks is also inviting neighbors to weigh in on what they'd like to see as part of the improvements, with a focus on how this section of Tompkins can better serve the community. 

Sign up for the meeting at this link. 

Here's an aerial view of the area that will eventually be under-construction along 10th Street and Avenue B...

... and how it looked the other day before the snow...

In August 2024, Gov. Hochul announced nearly $150 million in capital grants through the New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative. As part of that, Tompkins Square Park was awarded $6.1 million for a new in-ground pool, which will double the capacity of the current above-ground trailer park model. 

Other areas of the park have undergone renovations... last April, the field house and restrooms reopened after more than 18 months of rehab work. In 2023, reconstruction of the multipurpose courts took place.

Petition seeks to rename Tompkins Square Park skate area for Harold Hunter

There's an effort underway to rename the skate area at Tompkins Square Park in honor of the late Harold Hunter. 

The Skatepark Project, which Tony Hawk founded, and the Harold Hunter Foundation have launched a petition to rename the multi-use/skate section of the park Harold Hunter Park. 

Hunter — a charismatic and influential skateboarder and actor — was born and raised at Campos Plaza on 13th Street. He died in 2006 at age 31. 

Tompkins Square Park was one of Hunter's favorite places to skate, and in the 1990s, he helped shape it into a creative hub where skaters, artists, and musicians crossed paths. That era helped cement the park's global reputation as a destination for skate culture. 

The proposal was scheduled to be heard tomorrow by Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee, but the item was withdrawn and is expected to return at a later date. 

You can read more and view the petition here.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Skatepark Project (@theskateparkproject)

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At the Harold Hunter Skate Jam in Tompkins Square Park

At Mulchapalooza 2026

Photos by Stacie Joy

MulchFest 2026 returned to Tompkins Square Park today, kicking off what is arguably the event of the early winter social calendar. 

Neighbors arrived with last season's Christmas trees, left with fresh mulch, and lingered long enough to catch up, people-watch and debate the finer points of tree disposal. 

Day 1 scenes, as captured below...

Parks will be back at it tomorrow (Sunday) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ...

The Parks Department will be mulch obliged if you bring your Christmas tree to Tompkins this weekend

Photo from Sunday 

FYI: MulchFest 2026 (aka Chipping Weekend) runs tomorrow and Sunday (Jan. 10–11) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Tompkins Square Park is one of the official chipping sites, which means city crews will happily turn your discarded Christmas tree into a bag of fresh mulch for you to take home — perfect for gardens, tree beds and other responsible, plant-related uses.

Noted

This turned up overnight on the back side of the Tompkins Square Park field house, according to several EVG readers. (And yes, it says what you think it says.) 

The response from neighbors ranged from annoyed to disgusted — not least because the field house only reopened last April after an 18-month revamp. 

The reconstruction of the field house that serves the park included a complete renovation of the building's interior and exterior, upgrading all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Accessibility improvements feature reconfigured layouts, new entryways, ADA-compliant ramps, and renovated restrooms and maintenance areas. The mayor's office funded the $5.6 million renovations. 

Updated: 

Parks was on the tag pretty quickly, power-washing it off the wall...

Photos via @voxvixen

Hazy shade of winter

Thanks to the anonymous neighbor for these photos of the snowmelt fog in Tompkins Square Park this morning...

Temperatures rose to above freezing today, melting the snow, and that led to evaporation and the formation of fog. Or something like that. #Blogsplain

At play in the fields of the snow

Thanks to Steven for these photos from Tompkins Square Park today...

Saturday's opening shots

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Our intrepid reporter ventured out into Tompkins Square Park during the latest fizzled Storm of the Century last night around 10 ...

We had a few inches of snow, thought nowhere near the projections. 

In Central Park, officials measured 4.3 inches, per reports. 

Noted

There are some unfounded rumors about some "space junk" on the main lawn in Tompkins Square Park...

A taste test confirms that this is, in fact, the base of a snow person someone created back when it snowed a bit on Dec. 14... a further lab analysis shows this still contains 12% ice crystals ...

Fallen tree blocks sidewalk along Avenue B in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

We received several reader reports of an uprooted tree yesterday in Tompkins Square Park (h/t Steven), along the Avenue B fence between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. 

There were no reports of injuries. 

As of this afternoon, the downed tree was still blocking the sidewalk along Avenue B.

Scenes from tonight’s 34th annual Tompkins Square Park tree lighting

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The 34th annual tree lighting in Tompkins Square Park took place tonight, continuing one of the East Village's enduring December traditions. 

This year's event, held from 4–5 p.m., was once again sponsored by C&B Cafe and featured the Carolers of Olde New York from Theater for the New City, who filled the park with seasonal favorites. Veselka provided refreshments, helping keep things warm as neighbors gathered around the tree. 

An enduring staple of December in the neighborhood — and a reminder that some East Village traditions are still going strong...

... And some more scenes...