Ruppert Park, the one-acre park on Second Avenue between East 90th and 91st streets, is getting rebuilt from the ground up. NYC Parks broke ground on Monday on a $13 million, two-phase reconstruction that adds a new playground built into the park's hilly terrain, two new entrances, a dog run and, in a second phase, a public restroom building.

The first phase is scheduled to be finished in summer 2027.

A playground that climbs the hill

Ruppert Park is not flat. It has about 90 trees and a 15-foot change in elevation from one end to the other, and the new design leans into both rather than leveling them out.

An accessible path will lead children up toward the park's highest point, where it ends at a twisting slide set into a natural rock scramble. An ADA-accessible bridge will connect that path to a play structure designed as a treehouse, with a wraparound catwalk giving 360-degree views over the rest of the park.

Parks says the plan keeps the existing trees and the park's landscape while adding plantings, more open lawn, and space for both active play and sitting quietly.

Easier to get into

Today the park has one central way in, near Second Avenue. The reconstruction replaces it with two new entrances and connects them with ADA-accessible routes running through the whole park, so a stroller, a wheelchair or a walker can reach every part of it.

A dog run, then a restroom

A dog run is part of the first phase. The second phase brings a new public restroom building and a multi-use space. That work is expected to start in fall 2027 and finish in spring 2029.

Who is paying for it

The $13 million comes from the Manhattan Borough President's Office, the City Council and the Mayor's Office. Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura announced the start of work with local elected officials.

About the name

The park is named for Colonel Jacob Ruppert (1867 to 1939), a third-generation brewer, sportsman and public official who was the first co-owner of Yankee Stadium and the second co-owner of the New York Yankees, according to the Parks Department's historical sign for the site.

Getting there

Ruppert Park is on Second Avenue between East 90th and 91st streets, in the 10128 ZIP code. The Q train stops at 86th Street and Second Avenue, four blocks south. The Parks Department lists the reconstruction and the restroom building as separate capital projects on the park's page, where progress is posted.

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