21 New Hempstead Road – New City 

ACCESS:  Park is located in New City, at the south end of the Rockland County Court House on Main Street opposite Congers Road.  

DIRECTIONS:  From Route 304 turn west onto Congers Road, Rockland County Court House is on the left across the intersection at Main Street. 

PARKING:   Weekdays at rear of County Office Building located at 11 New Hempstead Road. Walk across stream on wooden bridge at north end of County Court House.  Walk south in front of building to garden entrance.  Weekends use parking area to the left side in front of County Court House. 

REST ROOMS:   Facilities available in Court House

not handicapped accessible

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:   The garden consists of a brick teahouse with a fireplace, a gazebo, an arbor and a bandstand.  Originally a brick wall (part of which remains) enclosed the gardens.  A variety of flowers and tulips can be found along the brick lined paths.  The western side has a slope, which at one time was covered with daffodils.  The Demarest Kill Stream separates the park from the rear of the County Office parking lot.

HISTORY:   Constructed 1934-36 under the supervision of Mary Mobray Clarke, landscape consultant, the park stands as a memorial to the early Dutch settlers and is a reminder of the importance that brick making had on the County's economy.  In 1935 the designs and descriptions of the park won national recognition.  A bronze achievement plaque on the wall of the teahouse remains as a commemorative to the designers.  In 1965 it won first prize in the Annual Civic Beautification Contests sponsored by Sears Roebuck and Co. and in 1968 it won a prize in the National Award Showcase of Beauty Contests sponsored by the Readers Digest Foundation.  From time to time, the park has been used for weddings, concerts (The West Point Glee Club performed here in 1967) and various activities of the Clarkstown Garden Club, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, etc.

PRESENT USE:   Walking paths, sitting areas, picnicking, formal gardens, teahouse, and gazebo.

FUTURE PLANS:  Funding from the 1986 Environmental Quality Bond Act was used to restore the Teahouse and Gazebo.  Additional funding under the Clean Water Bond Act will be used to restore the remaining features in the Park.  Restoration work is scheduled for the Spring of 2006.