Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park

Okay, so this place is basically a very empty park on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island. There is nothing to do here and it’s not worth going on a trip just to see it. However, it is a nice place to relax and you get some nice skyline views of Manhattan and Queens. The park itself is worth a couple of photos too. The end of it is a cool looking triangle that is lined with trees on both sides and also at the southern tip is a huge bust of Franklin D Roosevelt.

FDR Four Freedoms Park is located on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island. It’s right next to the ruins of a former smallpox hospital, which (OK, I may be weird) I find a bit cool.
It’s a very small park, but it has one big thing going for it: amazing views of Manhattan, Queens, and a bit of Brooklyn.
It’s also a nice serene place to relax.
Oh, and, yes, as other reviewers have said, the head statue of FDR does look a bit like Wizard of Oz. :-)
If you want to visit, I’d recommend taking the tram, which has great views as well, and taking the 15 – 20 minute stroll along the west coast of the island. It’s definitely worth the trip on a nice afternoon, or to catch the NYC skyline at night!!!

I LOVE this place! Roosevelt Island is such an underrated/​not as known and therefore not as touristy park/​oasis within Manhattan. It’s a beautiful and relaxing location for a lazy weekend afternoon. The views are stunning and the marble mixed with the grass truly makes for a pristine area to sit and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a while.

The FDR Four Freedoms Park is located at the very southernmost tip of Roosevelt Island. It’s not accessible via bus but is a 15 minute walk along the walkway from the tram drop off point. Located just past the old small pox hospital, you’ll walk by a welcome center/​small gift shop and be awed by the beauty and calmness of this park. Definitely a hidden gem by NYC standards!
Highlights of the Park include:
–Scenic views of Manhattan, the East River, Long Island City (the pepsi cola sign!) that offer some great photo ops
–Beautiful tree lined grassy area… impeccably taken care of by the grounds crew
–Tables to enjoy a picnic or if the food truck is there, a snack or drink from the truck
–Large stone area at the very end past the grassy park to take in the view, read the quote that the «four freedoms» refers to, and take some photos
–An enormous FDR head, which yes, as another reviewer mentioned, looks eerily familiar to oz
–Welcome area/​gift shop right when you enter with staff to answer any questions, donation box, small gift tokens
–You’ll likely have the place to yourself, we went on a summer Saturday and saw maybe 20 people in the hour we spent there
–Perfect getaway spot from the city but you’re ridiculously close at the same time
Would recommend to both locals and tourists… you won’t be disappointed!

Somewhat disconcerting is the giant disembodied head that is suspended at the wall on the end of this park. I was innocently admiring the pepsi-​cola sign and relaxing in the cool water breeze when I turn to my right and suddenly:
THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ HAS SPOK…
…oh, okay, it’s not a terrifying wizard, just a statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Or more accurately, a ginormous head (sans neck or body) that is somehow attached to the wall in a way that makes it appear from a distance as if it is just floating there, judging you and your $ 2 flipflops and cheap Chinatown sunhat. Thanks for the tachycardia, FDR, you sneaky b — — d.
No, actually, he was pretty nice guy, right? A charitable sort… well then I salute you, giant charitable head.
My opinion on the smallpox hospital comes as a jaded ruin addict who has just seen Admiral Row in the Bklyn navy yards. The ruins here are… o-kAay…but in my opinion do not hold the proverbial old wax candelabra to Admiral Row, which I wish the city had preserved. This is not to take away from the work they have done here, shoring up the outer walls so they do not collapse and lighting it so they can be seen at night. Alright I take it back, it is actually pretty cool. It would look better if they had not cleared away a lot of the ivy and overgrowth but I concede the fact that it must have been necessary. Nature will creep in again I’m sure.
For a place that is supposedly haunted, It feels very calm. At night I have seen a bunch of cats slinking about and during the day there is a Canadian geese convention on the path, so perhaps the ghosties have converted to Hinduism.

Such a beautiful memorial and park. I came on a Sunday afternoon in the summer and it was so peaceful and scenic. The memorial includes a large lawn area which cones to a huge buff of FDR along with what they call «The Room» where you can see the bay and all of downtown Manhattan plus the UN headquarters area.
I felt so relaxed lying on the grass field in the memorial and feeling the breeze across your face. Great place to have a picnic and just soak in the views!

The most amazing unobstructed view of the NYC Skyline… the Roosevelt Memorial was awesome… it has clean flowing lines and perfectly manicured tree lined lawns. by the way the african american lady at visitor information/​water/​freshment stand was very friendly professional and just helpful

The transformation at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island is dramatic. It wasn’t a park — it wasn’t much of anything really — and, now, it’s an escape from the canyon confines of Manhattan just a short subway or tram ride away.

The Hidden Gem (Park) of New York City.
This is my one of my favorite parks in the United States and my favorite in New York City. To start, the landscaping is beautiful and I’ve never seen a park as clean as this one. You could literally eat something off the floor if you dropped it. The grass and trees are lush and even the worst picture is the best picture in that setting.
The amount of work that went into this park can be seen as well. There are little details, quotes and things everywhere to be discovered. If you are looking to have a picnic but still have the city feel, this is the perfect vibe and place. In the summer, they play movies once a week on the lawn (Breathtaking and not as crowded as Bryant Park in the City, at least not yet). It is located between Manhattan and Queens which is perfect and you have the option of taking the cable car or train to get here. Cable cars personally freak me out but the view is pretty nice (from the single time I actually took it)…and Yes, it’s the one from Spiderman going in to Roosevelt Island.
On the way in, you also pass this cool abandoned building that looks like a little castle. This is neat little piece of history, I’ll leave that to you to look up. Towards the end of the park/​pier, there is a cool area for photography facing out in to the water. I would recommend bringing a nice camera.

At the southern most tip of Roosevelt Island lies the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. Even on a cold day, this park is stunning. My husband and I went out on a very sunny day, which in my mind is the only way to do it. The sun shinning on the clean lines of this gorgeous park will take your breath away. If you walk all the way to the end of the park, you can see the sun shinning over lower Manhattan and reflecting off the water. Just beautiful. There is a bronze bust of FDR as well as one of his quotes etched into the stone. I can’t recommend this park enough. While I was there I discussed with my husband coming back here when it was warmer to see then sunset.

Peace and quiet in reflection.
I had never been to Roosevelt Island before, but when my dad came to visit, this was one destination he didn’t want to skip. We took the tram over one Sunday afternoon (which was unbelievably terrifying, but I’m a big baby when it comes to heights).
There’s a free shuttle that runs throughout the island, but it only goes north from the station. You must walk south about 15 minutes before arriving at the memorial. At first, all you see is a big, white stone monument. However, when you walk up those stone steps, you’re greeted by one of the most beautiful city parkscapes you’ve ever seen. With many trees lining a giant grassy area, the symmetry and the clean look make this one breathtaking picture.
If you continue to walk down the lawn to the southern tip, you get a beautiful view of the skyline and a chance to sit down, absorb what’s around you, and just think. I not only think the architecture is beautiful, but the memorial does remember one of our nation’s greatest leaders during a time of need and that alone is powerful.
I’m definitely coming back because I know it’s one place that’s not too far from the city where I can get away from the hustle and bustle and just take a few minutes to relax. There’s no food allowed on the memorial grounds, but there are nearby picnic tables where I saw many families celebrating their weekends. Even if you’re a New York native, check out Roosevelt Island and take in that view!

Small but beautiful park with gorgeous views of the east river, overlooking Manhattan and Queens. The park stands out with its white color and very clean surroundings.

At the very south end of Roosevelt Island is Four Freedoms Park. There’s not an overwhelming amount to see in this park other than the fact the park is new and everything does look nice. At the end of the point you’ll see FDR and past his big head there’s a nice area that opens up for a view of LIC, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.
I can’t say that I admire FDR in anyway and in fact I think he’s one of the worst president this country has seen (I can feel the hate rays from people already) but if you’re on Roosevelt Island I think it’s a great place to check out.

Recently, my friend encourage me to take a little «vacation» over to Roosevelt Island, so we jumped on the aerial tramway, then walked about 6 – 8 minutes south to the Four Freedoms Park. As others have noted, it’s very small, but the concrete work, FDR sculpture, and engraved signage definitely bring a little taste of DC right to the otherwise non-​existent Roosevelt Island. To top it all off, the views back towards Manhattan and western Queens are terrific!

We went to the Four Freedoms Park on a weekday in July. It’s easily accessible through the F train stop on Roosevelt Island. It takes about 15 minutes to reach with a leisurely pace to the southern tip of the island. When you arrive what you will first notice is the simplicity of the place. There’s a small kiosk with a brochures about the park. Next to it, there’s a small cart selling bottles of water. That’s it, no other concessions.
From there, you’ll walk through the park, which is narrow and tapers to the end where you’ll see a bust of FDR. You’re surrounded by lot’s of white stone. The most poignant thing to the monument is that at the end, when you look over the East River, you’ll see the UN to the right. A reminder of how these ideals in FDR’s speech carried over to the UN which was supposed to safeguard these for future generations. If you were wondering about the speech, you could see the main excerpts written on the wall behind the bust.
During our weekday visit, there were only two or three other couples walking around. No huge school groups or tour groups to be seen around us. Therefore, I would recommend the park as a beautiful and peaceful place to meditate especially with all the greenery and orderly arranged structures and trees around you.

Yet another cool thing that I experienced in NY yesterday. The park is definitely located in what I thought was the least suspecting place in NY. It was away from the hustle and bustle associated with NY, particularly Manhattan. The park area was serene and had a nice aquatic view.
Although it is a very small park (just the one FDR memorial, I think it was worth the train/​tram ride and short walk to check it out.

After 40 years since NYC started planning this memorial it finally opens.
The park’s name is from President Roosevelt’s January 6, 1941 State of the Union address to the Nation.
The speech is known as the Four Freedoms Speech.
The memorial is call the FDR Hope Memorial.
Roosevelt said war is necessary to create a world centering on four essential human freedoms.
Freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship; freedom from want and freedom from fear.
The park is a 4-​acre triangular white-​granite and green with 120 little leaf Linden trees forming a point to a colossal bronze bust of Roosevelt. Carved on the back of the stone niche is passage from the Four Freedoms. speech
This memorial park is not finished. There are several more items planned:
…

A piece of DC in NYC! Definitely worth the tram ride or the subway ride! It’s not a big park but nevertheless some great photo opportunities! It’s very clean and has a minimalistic aesthetic which I like and there’s even a Head Sculpture of FDR himself. It was so clean I really felt like I was in Washington for a second.
For first-​timers, this isn’t a park where you’d come for running or to do sports or any type of exercise but where you’d like to go for a walk with your family, significant others, parents, and just take in the view of East River and Manhattan Skyline, and take some time to pay tribute to what FDR has done for the country.
Although there ain’t much to see other than the head sculptures and his quotes carved into a stone and the steps, the park is fairly new and definitely has potential to become a great spot for superb photo opportunities… a background that has a feel of both DC and NYC at the same time? YES PLEASE

A visit to the FDR Four Freedoms Park is definitely worth the trip to Roosevelt Island just for the views alone. It was slightly disconcerting but also really cool to be on an island with a salty breeze blowing through grass… immediately across from Manhattan.
But the park itself as a tribute to FDR’s accomplishments? Not amazing. It has a minimalistic aesthetic and doesn’t do a good job of getting into FDR himself. Maybe I like it when people point things out to me like (because?) I’m stupid, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Yes, there is a giant FDR head sculpture and one of his quotes carved into a stone, but there could be more information. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that this park offers an excellent view of the United Nations, but how does the park tie into that? Certainly I don’t expect giant plaques everywhere explaining things as if it were a wikipedia entry, it’s just that the park seems disconnected from the the historical importance of FDR’s presidency and how it’s tied to NYC.
This park is definitely worth a visit. Just pack your camera and bone up on your FDR history on your own before you go.

Worth the tram ride over. Nice break from the city and offers some great picture taking oppurtunities of the skyline and the old smallpox hospital, which you pass on your way to the park.
Short walk from tram and makes for a lovely outing.