Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park LLC receives approval for construction

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, LLC was granted approval to construct Phase 1 of the park, designed by the renowned architect Louis Kahn, for the south point of the island. Approval was granted at a board meeting of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC). "The approval by RIOC enables us to begin construction and create this wonderful tribute to Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the island in the East River that bears his name. With funding from the state, the city and the private sector, we can now build a park in tribute to President Roosevelt and the Four Freedoms that will have universal attention and admiration," said William Vanden Heuvel, founder and chair emeritus of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and chair of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, LLC. The park will begin construction this summer. Dedication of the Park is appropriately planned during the 2009 General Assembly of the United Nations, with invitations extended to President Obama, Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg. World leaders will honor the legacy of President Roosevelt, a primary force in the creation of the United Nations. Support and endorsements for the park have been forthcoming over decades from many public and civic organizations, as well as elected officials including Governor David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The design of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park was commissioned by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1973, and supported over the past three decades by New York Governors Wilson, Carey, Cuomo, Spitzer and Paterson. Two years ago, the City and State recommitted to the public and private partnership to finally realize this extraordinary civic space. President Roosevelt, in his annual message to Congress on January 6, 1941, delivered a defining speech in which he articulated America's commitment to a "world founded upon four essential human freedoms, Freedom of Speech and Expression, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Fear, and Freedom from Want." The Four Freedoms are also incorporated as an essential element in the Charter of the United Nations. Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park will be a landscaped park at the very southern end of Roosevelt Island, south of the landmarked Renwick Ruin and directly across the East River from the United Nations. Unlike any other Park in New York City, this Park was designed specifically for the site by the renowned architect Louis Kahn to honor President Roosevelt with an enduring civic space dedicated to the Four Freedoms. The park will be a quiet landscaped presence for Island and City residents and visitors alike for recreation, picnicking and sunbathing, and for public events including the annual viewing of July 4th fireworks, music and dance concerts, readings, and other public gatherings. Surrounded by spectacular views of the city, the broad sloped lawn with allées of trees along both sides, the forecourt area, and the "room" all provide congenial settings for a wide variety of events. The "room" as Kahn called it, is actually an open-air plaza defined on three sides by closely-spaced granite columns upon which will be carved the text of the Four Freedoms. The "room" provides a place for solitary contemplation and to celebrate community as well as enjoy spectacular views of the East River, Manhattan and Queens. Funding for the Park from public and private sources to complete Phase 1 of construction is in hand. In August 2006, with a significant lead grant from Alphawood Foundation of Chicago, and additional support from the Arthur Ross Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and The Reed Foundation, approximately $10 million in private funds has been raised toward a $20 million private commitment. Donors are invited to sponsor one of 150 Little Leaf Linden trees arranged in allées to border the east and west of the great lawn. Franklin D. Roosevelt was responsible for planting over two billion trees throughout the United States under the auspices of the Civilian Conservation Corporation, which he created. These trees at the Park continue that legacy. The Park will be the first and only Kahn architectural work in New York City and the first Memorial dedicated to President Roosevelt in his home state. To sponsor a Freedom Tree or make a donation of any size to help build the park visit www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org. "Let's build it now and rebuild something in us all."