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NYC’s Park Avenue Medians Are Getting a Face-Lift

With JPMorgan and Grand Central Station set to temporarily tear up the avenue’s malls, local officials are seizing the opportunity to renovate.  

People walk and ride bicycles along Park Avenue on Aug. 7, 2021 as part of the New York City Department of Transportation’s Summer Streets event. The planted medians that divide the iconic avenue are slated for a major renovation. 

People walk and ride bicycles along Park Avenue on Aug. 7, 2021 as part of the New York City Department of Transportation’s Summer Streets event. The planted medians that divide the iconic avenue are slated for a major renovation. 

Photographer: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images 

A long-ignored strip of planted medians on an iconic Manhattan avenue is set to undergo a major renovation that could last decades. 

New York City’s Department of Transportation plans to hire a landscape architect to reinvent the malls that divide Park Avenue along the 11 blocks from Grand Central to East 57th Street. Councilmember Keith Powers, who represents the area, says he expects the request for proposals to be sent out in the coming months. The renovations will proceed in stages and likely won’t be completed for at least 20 years.