{{Short description|Park in Rochester, New York, US}} {{about|the park in Rochester, New York|the park in Manhattan, New York|American Museum of Natural History}} {{Infobox park | name = Manhattan Square Park | image = FiveStarBankPlazaAtPartyInTheParkRochesterNewYork.jpg | image_size = 300px | image_caption = Manhattan Square Park | type = Urban park | location = Rochester, New York, U.S. | area = {{convert|5|acre|ha}} | designer = Lawrence Halprin | open = 1974 | operator = City of Rochester | coordinates = {{coord|43.153913|-77.602160|display=inline,title}} }}
'''Manhattan Square Park''', officially '''Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at Manhattan Square''', is a {{convert|5|acre|ha|adj=on}} urban park in downtown Rochester, New York. Designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin in 1971–1972 and opened in 1974, the park was the centerpiece of the city's Southeast Loop urban renewal plan.<ref name="tclf">{{cite web |title=Manhattan Square Park (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park) |url=https://www.tclf.org/manhattan-square-park-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-memorial-park |website=The Cultural Landscape Foundation |access-date=February 19, 2026}}</ref> It is adjacent to The Strong National Museum of Play and is the largest park within the Inner Loop.<ref name="city">{{cite web |title=Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at Manhattan Square |url=http://www.cityofrochester.gov/mlkparkicerink/ |website=City of Rochester |access-date=February 19, 2026}}</ref> The park was renamed in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. in 2013.<ref name="tclf"/>
== History == The site of the park was previously occupied by tenement housing until the city cleared approximately 60 acres for urban renewal in 1968.<ref name="tclf"/> Lawrence Halprin and Lawrence Halprin & Associates designed the park in 1971–1972, organizing the space into six distinct zones set at a 45-degree angle to the surrounding street grid.<ref name="tclf"/> The park opened in 1974.<ref name="tclf"/>
In 2013, the park was officially designated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at Manhattan Square.<ref name="tclf"/>
== Design and features == Halprin's design includes a sunken concrete plaza with a 2,000-seat amphitheater, a waterfall fountain, and a steel scaffold-like frame with viewing platforms and an observation tower.<ref name="tclf"/> Other features include a children's play area, a hockey and skating rink (which also serves as a reflecting pool), a large meadow, a bermed garden with a tree grove, and a tree-shaded promenade.<ref name="tclf"/><ref name="city"/> Park Drive (now Manhattan Square) and a sky-lit underpass below Chestnut Street separate vehicular and pedestrian traffic.<ref name="tclf"/>
The park is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for its association with Rochester's urban renewal era and as the work of master landscape architect Lawrence Halprin.<ref name="phase4">{{cite web |title=Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park Phase IV |url=https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/department-environmental-services-des/martin-luther-king-jr-memorial-park-phase-iv |website=City of Rochester |access-date=February 19, 2026}}</ref>
== Renovations == The children's play area was updated in the 1990s.<ref name="tclf"/> In 2008, the skating rink was redesigned to function as a reflecting pool during warmer months.<ref name="tclf"/> In 2017, the park's waterfall fountains were restored and now feature a partial quotation from Dr. King: "…Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream."<ref name="tclf-fountain">{{cite web |title=Fountain at Halprin Park Rightfully Restored |url=https://www.tclf.org/fountain-halprin-park-rightfully-restored |website=The Cultural Landscape Foundation |access-date=February 19, 2026}}</ref>
In 2025, the City of Rochester began a playground renovation to address deteriorating play structures and non-functional water features, with construction expected to be completed by fall 2025.<ref name="playground">{{cite web |title=Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park Playground Renovation |url=https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/department-environmental-services/martin-luther-king-jr-memorial-park-playground |website=City of Rochester |access-date=February 19, 2026}}</ref> A Phase IV renovation, focusing on the Court Street and Chestnut Street frontages and the south berm garden, entered its design phase in 2025 with landscape architecture firm Barton & Loguidice as lead consultant.<ref name="phase4"/>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.cityofrochester.gov/mlkparkicerink/ City of Rochester: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park] * [https://www.tclf.org/manhattan-square-park-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-memorial-park Manhattan Square Park] at The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Category:Parks in Monroe County, New York Category:Geography of Rochester, New York Category:Urban public parks Category:1974 establishments in New York (state)