Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park

The approach is part of the memorial. From Roosevelt Island’s transit stops, walk south until streets and towers fall behind; a broad stair, an allée of trees, and a narrowing lawn draw the eye toward Franklin Roosevelt’s portrait and a granite space open to the East River sky. Louis Kahn called his idea “a room and a garden.” Move through both slowly, then reach the Room at the island’s prow and turn toward the United Nations across the water. Kahn designed the memorial after Roosevelt Island received its current name in 1973, but construction did not begin until 2010. Completed in 2012 from his original design, the park is widely regarded as his final work. Its geometry gives physical form to Roosevelt’s 1941 Four Freedoms—speech and expression, worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—without turning the visit into a sequence of plaques. The axis, bust by Jo Davidson, inscriptions, water, and skyline do the telling. The park is open 9 AM–7 PM Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday–Saturday; it is closed Tuesdays, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve, with special New Year’s Day hours. There is no parking at the park and limited parking on Roosevelt Island. Food and beverages other than water are restricted to designated areas; bikes, recreational scooters, pets, climbing, fishing, shore access, and drones are prohibited. Follow current transit advisories. No tour, event admission, transit fare, or partner benefit is included. More

The approach is part of the memorial. From Roosevelt Island’s transit stops, walk south until streets and towers fall behind; a broad stair, an allée of trees, and a narrowing lawn draw the eye toward Franklin Roosevelt’s portrait and a granite space open to the East River sky. Louis Kahn called his idea “a room and a garden.” Move through both slowly, then reach the Room at the island’s prow and turn toward the United Nations across the water. Kahn designed the memorial after Roosevelt Island received its current name in 1973, but construction did not begin until 2010. Completed in 2012 from his original design, the park is widely regarded as his final work. Its geometry gives physical form to Roosevelt’s 1941 Four Freedoms—speech and expression, worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—without turning the visit into a sequence of plaques. The axis, bust by Jo Davidson, inscriptions, water, and skyline do the telling. The park is open 9 AM–7 PM Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday–Saturday; it is closed Tuesdays, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve, with special New Year’s Day hours. There is no parking at the park and limited parking on Roosevelt Island. Food and beverages other than water are restricted to designated areas; bikes, recreational scooters, pets, climbing, fishing, shore access, and drones are prohibited. Follow current transit advisories. No tour, event admission, transit fare, or partner benefit is included. More