Upper West Side Community Protests Plans To Build In Theodore Roosevelt Park
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A community came together on Saturday to rally against a proposed plan to take over part of Theodore Roosevelt Park on the Upper West Side.
Dozens gathered outside the Museum of Natural History to protest plans to expand by adding a new building near the entrance at 79th Street and Columbus Avenue.
Locals, including tennis legend Billy Jean King, say the expansion would destroy their beloved park.
"I don't want to see this happen because we use the park, we use it every singe day we're home, we use if for respite," King said. "They're gonna take trees down. These trees, some of them are over 10 years old we don't want that to happen, we want to save the park."
In response to the protest, museum spokesperson Anne Canty sent the following statement to CBS2:
In the lawsuit brought to stop the Gilder Center, by many of the same individuals demonstrating today, the NY State Supreme Court ruled (December 10, 2018) decisively in favor of the Museum, finding that it had followed all the appropriate procedures and obtained all the required approvals. The Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation will be a major new resource for science education for all New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. The inherent value of this project is reflected in the broad public support it has received from numerous elected officials, neighborhood groups, and advocacy organizations. We have every expectation that the appellate court will affirm the Supreme Court decision.