Municipal Asphalt Plant

The Municipal Asphalt Plant is on the east side of York Avenue, north of 91st Street, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by Ely Jacques Kahn and Robert Allan Jacobs and built between 1941 and 1944 for Stanley M. Isaacs, the Manhattan borough president of the time.{{cite aia5|pages=488}}{{cite nycland |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=AwYcSFtdE_AC&q=%22asphalt%20plant%22 184]}} Built under the supervision of public works commissioner Walker D. Binger,{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1944|ps=.|p=109}}{{harvnb|Stern|Stuart|2006|p=197|ps=.}} the plant was one of the first projects designed by the firm of Kahn and Jacobs. Syska and Hennessy were hired as consulting engineers for the project,{{Cite news |date=1940-07-01 |title=Design for New Municipal Asphalt Plant on East Side |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/07/01/archives/design-for-new-municipal-asphalt-plant-on-east-side.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103004417/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/07/01/archives/design-for-new-municipal-asphalt-plant-on-east-side.html |url-status=live}} while Kahn and Jacobs collaborated with engineer Shamoon Nadir in the design of the building. Jacobs took credit for the plant's concrete arches, claiming that he had devised this concept while studying under Le Corbusier in France. Although the plant diverged considerably from Kahn's earlier designs, he influenced other aspects of the building, such as the use of cast-in-place concrete and prefabricated materials.

The Municipal Asphalt Plant is designed in the post-modernist style. According to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), Isaacs wished for an "architectural treatment that would blend harmoniously with" both the nearby residential buildings and the neighboring East River (now FDR) Drive on the East River. The current building was originally the mixing plant, one of three structures in the asphalt plant.{{cite news |date=25 Apr 1944 |title=Museum Lauds Asphalt Plant Moses Assailed: Modern Art Staff Acclaims Design of Which He Said 'What Could Be Worse?' Crux of New Moses Dispute the Municipal Asphalt Plant |page=15 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1282844375}}}} It was attached to a rectangular storage facility for the raw materials that trucks had brought in, as well as a conveyor belt that brought the raw materials to the mixing plant.{{Cite web |title=George and Annette Murphy Center at Asphalt Green Sports and Arts Center {{!}} docomomo united states |url=http://www.docomomo-us.org/register/fiche/george_and_annette_murphy_center_asphalt_green_sports_and_arts_center |access-date=May 1, 2016 |website=www.docomomo-us.org |archive-date=June 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610131137/http://www.docomomo-us.org/register/fiche/george_and_annette_murphy_center_asphalt_green_sports_and_arts_center |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |date=1941-03-28 |title=City Asphalt Plant to Be Streamlined; Replacing of Unsightly One Is Authorized by Board at Isaacs's Urging |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/03/28/archives/city-asphalt-plant-to-be-streamlined-replacing-of-unsightly-one-is.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103020727/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/03/28/archives/city-asphalt-plant-to-be-streamlined-replacing-of-unsightly-one-is.html |url-status=live}}

The mixing plant was the first parabolic-arched building in the United States to use reinforced concrete, a cheaper alternative to steel that had been experimented with in Europe, but not used to any great effect.{{Cite web |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0905.pdf |title=Municipal Asphalt Plant |date=January 27, 1976 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |access-date=April 20, 2016 |archive-date=May 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506230237/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0905.pdf |url-status=live}} The arches were more efficient than the more-conventional form of a rectangle, and they further reduced stresses and the need for extraneous reinforced steel. The interior of the plant was designed first, followed by the exterior. The structure consists of four arched ribs, each measuring {{convert|90|ft}} wide and {{convert|84.5|ft}} high; the centers of the ribs are {{convert|22|ft}} apart. These ribs support a barrel-vaulted ceiling made of concrete. Between the ribs, the sides of the plant have sash windows about one-third of the way up the walls.{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=2}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1976|ps=.|p=2}} A sundial sculpture by Robert Adzema was installed outside the building's main entrance in 1984.

The architects initially wished to construct the arches using concrete forms, but this would have been slow and costly, and it would have required the equipment to be installed first. Instead, the construction contractors decided to use prefabricated steel ribs, each split into three sections.{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1944|ps=.|p=112}} The walls and roof are made of cast-in-place concrete panels, which were created by pouring concrete around the ribs. This allowed the equipment to be installed after the complex was completed, and it also obviated the need for complex scaffolding.{{Cite news |date=1944-04-25 |title=City Plant Called Ugly by Moses Hailed as a Beauty by Museum; Though 'Horrible Modernistic Stuff' to Him, It Is Rated Among 47 Buildings in U.S. That Best Show Progress in Design |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/04/25/archives/city-plant-called-ugly-by-moses-hailed-as-a-beauty-by-museum-though.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103025117/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/04/25/archives/city-plant-called-ugly-by-moses-hailed-as-a-beauty-by-museum-though.html |url-status=live}} Vertical beams, placed atop horizontal girders, were used to stiffen the walls on either end of the building. Originally, the roofs of the mixing plant and the conveyor belt were supposed to be made of Monel metal, but this was postponed because of material shortages during World War II. The mixing plant's metal roof was not installed while the asphalt plant was in operation; as a result, the roof began to leak when the building was converted to a recreation center.{{Cite news |last=Allon |first=Janet |date=1997-03-02 |title=Asphalt Green Gym Is Nearly All Roof, and It's Leaky |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/02/nyregion/asphalt-green-gym-is-nearly-all-roof-and-it-s-leaky.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229192251/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/02/nyregion/asphalt-green-gym-is-nearly-all-roof-and-it-s-leaky.html |url-status=live}}

When the asphalt plant was in operation, river barges delivered sand and stone to a hopper above the conveyor belt.{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1944|ps=.|pp=110–112}} The conveyor belt carried materials from the East River shoreline under FDR Drive, then traveled diagonally above ground to the storage facility.{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1944|ps=.|p=110}} The raw materials were then transferred to a secondary belt inside the storage facility. Windows were installed at "strategic points of distribution and processing" in each structure.{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1944|ps=.|p=111}} The storage building included large containers for storing raw materials, as well as catwalks and conveyor belts on an upper level, which were illuminated by ribbon windows. Limestone dust was pumped directly to the storage building, while asphalt cement was piped to the storage building.

Afterward, dry materials and liquid asphalt cement were mixed in the mixing plant and transported to paving trucks. The mixing plant contained three sets of asphalt-mixing machines, one between each set of ribs. The space was electrically heated to prevent congelation of liquid asphalt, and it had automatic mixing controls, an automated thermostat, and equipment to collect dust,{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1976|ps=.|p=3}} The plant was capable of creating 120 tons of asphalt concrete per hour, which could be increased to 160 tons per hour during peak times. When it opened, the plant was capable of producing 700 tons of asphalt concrete per day, compared to the 450-ton capacity of the plant that it replaced. At its peak, the plant could produce 900 tons of asphalt concrete per day, which was used for paving roads in Manhattan.

The modern Asphalt Green complex covers {{Convert|5.5|acre}}, stretching between 92nd Street to the north, FDR Drive to the northeast, 90th Street to the south, and York Avenue to the west. The mixing plant was converted into the four-story George and Annette Murphy Center in the early 1980s.{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=1985-02-17 |title=Architecture View; When The Site Tests the Designer |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/17/arts/architecture-view-when-th-site-tests-the-designer.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104145620/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/17/arts/architecture-view-when-th-site-tests-the-designer.html |url-status=live}} Originally, the building was supposed to be a three-story structure; the ground floor was to include offices, storage rooms, locker rooms, and an assembly room and theater. The second floor was to include physical-education space and an art studio, while the third story was to include a multipurpose space that could be used as an auditorium or a gymnasium.{{Cite news |last=Dembart |first=Lee |date=1979-04-07 |title=Old Asphalt Plant Off F.D.R. Drive to Become a Recreation Center |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/07/archives/old-asphalt-plant-off-fdr-drive-to-become-a-recreation-center.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103042917/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/07/archives/old-asphalt-plant-off-fdr-drive-to-become-a-recreation-center.html |url-status=live}} In the final plans, four levels were added to the Murphy Center, rather than three. The lowest three stories had low ceilings, while the top floor contained a gym with a suspended running track. The space included two gymnasiums, art studios, and a 91-seat theater{{Cite news |last=Brooke |first=James |date=1984-10-24 |title=Arts and Sports Center Opening in Landmark |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/24/nyregion/arts-and-sports-center-opening-in-landmark.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103195554/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/24/nyregion/arts-and-sports-center-opening-in-landmark.html |url-status=live}} known as the Paul Mazur Theater.{{cite news |last=Clifford |first=Timothy |date=2 Jun 1986 |title=Do-gooder Doctor Gears Up for Another Project |page=25 |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|285386868}}}}

North of the Murphy Center is the AquaCenter, a three-story swimming complex designed in a similar style to the Murphy Center.{{Cite news |date=1991-10-27 |title=Postings: 5-Story Sports Center; A Pool House By the Drive |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/27/realestate/postings-5-story-sports-center-a-pool-house-by-the-drive.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104165236/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/27/realestate/postings-5-story-sports-center-a-pool-house-by-the-drive.html |url-status=live}} The AquaCenter's main swimming pool measures {{convert|170|by|60|ft}} across and up to {{convert|16|ft}} deep; part of the pool's floor can be moved hydraulically to accommodate disabled guests.{{Cite news |last=Fried |first=Lisa |date=1993-10-26 |title=Finally, A Gym for All |pages=7 |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115774807/finally-a-gym-for-alllisa-fried/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104165241/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115774807/finally-a-gym-for-alllisa-fried/ |url-status=live}} The main pool is covered by a curved skylight. Next to the main pool is a {{convert|7|ft|m|-deep|adj=mid}} exercise pool whose entire floor can be moved hydraulically.{{Cite news |last=Ellin |first=Abby |date=2006-02-09 |title=Disabled, and Shut Out at the Gym |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/fashion/thursdaystyles/disabled-and-shut-out-at-the-gym.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104165236/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/fashion/thursdaystyles/disabled-and-shut-out-at-the-gym.html |url-status=live}} There is also a pool for swimming lessons, measuring {{convert|18|by|26|ft}}, as well as a set of bleachers that can accommodate up to 700 people.{{Cite news |date=1993-04-25 |title=Postings: Opening in June; Biggest Pool in New York |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/25/realestate/postings-opening-in-june-biggest-pool-in-new-york.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190425/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/25/realestate/postings-opening-in-june-biggest-pool-in-new-york.html |url-status=live}} The aquatic center was also planned with offices for Asphalt Green officials, as well as a center for sports medicine and physical therapy. The top floor contains a fitness center.

West of the swimming center, on York Avenue between 91st and 92nd Streets, is the DeKovats Playground.{{cite web |title=Playgrounds : DeKovats Playground : NYC Parks |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/playgrounds/481 |access-date=January 4, 2023 |website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation |archive-date=July 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727235058/https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/playgrounds/481 |url-status=live}} The play area is named for Hungarian military officer Michael Kovats.{{cite web |title=Dekovats Triangle : NYC Parks |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/dekovats-triangle/ |access-date=January 4, 2023 |website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118013236/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/dekovats-triangle/ |url-status=live}} A truck ramp runs across the Asphalt Green complex, connecting York Avenue with a waste transfer station operated by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY).{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=2002-08-02 |title=Trash Plan Alters Mix Of Winners And Losers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/02/nyregion/trash-plan-alters-mix-of-winners-and-losers.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104180235/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/02/nyregion/trash-plan-alters-mix-of-winners-and-losers.html |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |last=Hawkins |first=Andrew |date=22 Apr 2013 |title=Upper East Side won't hear defeat |magazine=Crain's New York Business |volume=29 |issue=16 |page=3 |id={{ProQuest|1346625364}}}}

An asphalt plant had existed on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, along the East River near 91st Street, since March 1914. Described by the New-York Tribune as the "largest municipal asphalt plant in the world", it could produce enough asphalt to pave {{convert|3500|yd2}} per day.{{Cite news |date=1914-03-08 |title=Manhattan Gets Asphalt Plant: Largest Municipal Factory of Its Kind Opened in This Borough |pages=4 |work=New-York Tribune |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115749613/manhattan-gets-asphalt-plant-largest/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-date=January 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110153235/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115749613/manhattan-gets-asphalt-plant-largest/ |url-status=live}} The site was roughly equidistant from the northernmost and southernmost points of Manhattan, reducing the need for trucks to transport raw materials, and its waterfront location allowed barges to deliver raw materials easily. By the late 1930s, that asphalt plant had become outdated, and the neighborhood had evolved from a partly commercial to a largely residential area. Isaacs wished to develop a new asphalt plant in conjunction with construction on the East River Drive.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1976|ps=.|p=1}}{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=4}} Furthermore, DSNY operated an ash dump on a neighboring pier at 92nd Street, and fumes from the ash dump had caused land values in the surrounding area to decrease.{{cite news |date=6 Nov 1939 |title=City Announces Dustless System To Dump Ashes: All-Enclosed Deck and Pier Will Be Constructed at 92d St. and East River |page=15 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1319991269}}}}{{Cite news |date=1939-11-06 |title=Dustless Ash Dump Boon for East Side: Design for Loading Structure to Be Built at 92d Street and River |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/11/06/archives/dustless-ash-dump-boon-for-east-side-design-for-loading-structure.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103004415/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/11/06/archives/dustless-ash-dump-boon-for-east-side-design-for-loading-structure.html |url-status=live}} Many of Manhattan's streets were paved in Belgian blocks at the time, but Isaacs wished to repave the borough's streets in asphalt, which was less expensive than Belgian blocks.

File:FDR_Drive_-_New_York_City,_New_York_(5307856265).jpg

In mid-1939, Isaacs announced plans to build a three-level asphalt and sanitation plant on the East River near 90th Street.{{Cite news |date=1939-07-22 |title=East River Drive is 15% Completed; Work Along 2-Mile Shore Line Inspected by Government and City Engineers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/07/22/archives/east-river-drive-is-15-completed-work-along-2mile-shore-line.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103020731/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/07/22/archives/east-river-drive-is-15-completed-work-along-2mile-shore-line.html |url-status=live}} That November, Isaacs announced plans to add an enclosed sanitation facility for DSNY on the neighboring pier.{{efn|The marine transfer station on that site operated from 1940 to 1999.}} The same month, Isaacs submitted a plan to the Public Works Administration (PWA), requesting funding for the DSNY facility, a tunnel connecting with the East River asphalt plant, and numerous other improvements along the East River Drive.{{Cite news |date=1939-11-25 |title=New Plans Lift Cost of East River Drive; Isaacs Submits Request for $2,291,485 Work to PWA |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/11/25/archives/new-plans-lift-cost-of-east-river-drive-isaacs-submits-request-for.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103004417/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/11/25/archives/new-plans-lift-cost-of-east-river-drive-isaacs-submits-request-for.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |date=25 Nov 1939 |title=Isaacs Asks $1,035,000 In East River Drive Plan |page=6 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1320020477}}}} The tunnel was completed by mid-1940; at the time, the Manhattan borough president's office had also installed pipes for asphalt concrete, as well as conveyor belts for sand and stone. That July, the borough president's office announced plans for a new asphalt plant, designed by Kahn.{{Cite news |date=1940-07-01 |title=No Odor, Dust at New Asphalt Plant |pages=253 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115682351/no-odor-dust-at-new-asphalt-plant/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103020727/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115682351/no-odor-dust-at-new-asphalt-plant/ |url-status=live}} The plan tentatively called for a concrete structure made of several large arches, similar to a bridge arch.{{cite news |date=1 Jul 1940 |title=Drawing of New Municipal Asphalt Plant at East River |page=14 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1320024326}}}} Isaacs predicted that the new plant would further reduce pollution. The architect Hugh Ferriss created a rendering of the proposed plant.

The building was initially projected to cost $700,000. The New York City government approved a construction contract for the new plant on March 13, 1941. The initial bids to build it were higher than expected, so the government revised the plans to reduce costs. A revised contract was approved on March 27, 1941, at which point the plant was to cost $900,000. New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia dedicated a plaque at the new asphalt plant in October 1941.{{cite news |date=1 Nov 1941 |title=Mayor Asserts Sinking Brings U. S. Near War: Subordinating Election, He Calls for More Defense Workers at 3 Meetings |page=7 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1266897408}}}} The New York City Planning Commission approved the installation of dust-elimination equipment in May 1944, just before the plant opened, at a cost of $97,000. The existing equipment already removed 85 percent of dust, but the remaining dust often drifted over the East River and into the nearby Gracie Mansion, the New York City mayor's residence.{{cite news |date=18 May 1944 |title=Dust Eliminator Voted For City Asphalt Plant: $97,000 Installation Approved as Post-War Project |page=12 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1282879549}}}}{{Cite news |date=1944-05-18 |title=City to Snare Dust in Wind |pages=105 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689141/city-to-snare-dust-in-wind/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103033953/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689141/city-to-snare-dust-in-wind/ |url-status=live}} The Municipal Asphalt Plant was dedicated on May 24, 1944.{{Cite news |date=1944-05-25 |title=City Asphalt Plant Praised by Mayor; Dedication Ceremonies Held at Site on East River Drive |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/05/25/archives/city-asphalt-plant-praised-by-mayor-dedication-ceremonies-held-at.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103020731/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/05/25/archives/city-asphalt-plant-praised-by-mayor-dedication-ceremonies-held-at.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |date=25 May 1944 |title=Mayor 'Praises Asphalt Plant's Modern Design: Near-By Property Owners Pleased With It, He Says at Opening Ceremonies |page=20 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284450251}}}} Despite initial concerns that local residents would object to the asphalt plant, an apartment building had been developed nearby after construction of the asphalt plant had commenced.

The plant produced about 27,000 tons of asphalt in 1945, its first full year of operation, and it was making 50,000 tons by 1948.{{Cite news |date=1949-06-27 |title=City Sets a Record for Street Repair; Manhattan Now Has 1,500,000 Square Yards of New Paving, Borough President Says |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/06/27/archives/city-sets-a-record-for-street-repair-manhattan-now-has-1500000.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103034001/https://www.nytimes.com/1949/06/27/archives/city-sets-a-record-for-street-repair-manhattan-now-has-1500000.html |url-status=live}} During this four-year period, the plant produced 150,000 tons of asphalt in total.{{cite news |date=25 June 1949 |title=Rogers Reports Paving Record For Manhattan: 1,500.000 Square Yards Laid and 30,500 Holes Filled, O'Dwyer Is Told |page=2 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1335337818}}}} The plant supplied all of the asphalt used to repave roads in Manhattan; between 1945 and 1948, over 80 percent of repaving projects in Manhattan used asphalt. A one-story asphalt plant at 90th Street opened in December 1953,{{Cite news |date=1953-12-17 |title=Open Asphalt Plant |pages=384 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689564/open-asphalt-plant/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103033955/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689564/open-asphalt-plant/ |url-status=live}} and the conveyor belt under FDR Drive was repaired in 1963.{{Cite news |date=1963-10-18 |title=Part of East River Drive To Be Closed for Weekend |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/10/18/archives/part-of-east-river-drive-to-be-closed-for-weekend.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103033959/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/10/18/archives/part-of-east-river-drive-to-be-closed-for-weekend.html |url-status=live}} City highway commissioner Harry J. Donnelly awarded a $14,200 contract for the installation of new dust-removing equipment in 1966; the new equipment could remove 90 percent of the plant's dust emissions. At that point, Donnelly said the plant was "one of the air-polluting offenders of Manhattan's East Side".{{Cite news |date=1966-03-14 |title=Asphalt Plant to Clean Air |pages=131 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689821/asphalt-plant-to-clean-air/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103034002/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689821/asphalt-plant-to-clean-air/ |url-status=live}}

In 1968, the New York City government constructed a new asphalt plant in Queens, serving all five of the city's boroughs, and the separate asphalt plants in each borough were closed. The Manhattan asphalt plant's storage facility and conveyor were torn down. However, the mixing plant was so sturdy that the walls remained standing after three weeks of attempts to demolish it.{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=7}}{{Cite news |last=Mifflin |first=Lawrie |date=1976-01-28 |title=Old Asphalt Plant Settled Safely on Road to Posterity |pages=7 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115718153/old-asphalt-plant-settled-safely-on/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190424/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115718153/old-asphalt-plant-settled-safely-on/ |url-status=live}} By 1969, there were plans to redevelop the site with an 830-seat school and 1,000 apartments for middle-class residents.{{Cite news |last=Burks |first=Edward C. |date=1969-08-19 |title=State Fund Plans 4 Schools in City; 1,440 Apartments Are Part of $50-Million Renewal Project in Yorkville |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/08/19/archives/state-fund-plans-4-schools-in-city-1440-apartments-are-part-of.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103035834/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/08/19/archives/state-fund-plans-4-schools-in-city-1440-apartments-are-part-of.html |url-status=live}} The school on the Municipal Asphalt Plant's site would be the first of four new schools in the Yorkville neighborhood.{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=1969-08-19 |title=New Yorkville Plan: Schools and Housing |pages=14 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689979/new-yorkville-plan-schools-and/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103034003/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689979/new-yorkville-plan-schools-and/ |url-status=live}} The new development would temporarily house displaced families who were being displaced from the other three sites. The Educational Construction Fund, a nonprofit organization established by the New York State Legislature, was in charge of the project.{{Cite news |last=Asbury |first=Edith Evans |date=1972-12-01 |title=Board of Estimate Rejects Yorkville Housing Project |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/01/archives/board-of-estimate-rejects-yorkville-housing-project-project-is.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172608/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/01/archives/board-of-estimate-rejects-yorkville-housing-project-project-is.html |url-status=live}} The New York City government announced in September 1971 that it would convert the mixing plant into a gymnasium and cafeteria for the new development.{{cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=1971-09-12 |title=Arch of Asphalt Plant to Survive |page=R11 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|119142453}}}} The gym and cafeteria were to be shared by a 640-seat elementary school and a 230-seat special education school.{{Cite news |last=Layton |first=Preston |date=1972-10-06 |title=$62M Project on York Ave. Clears Hurdle |pages=254 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115712737/62m-project-on-york-ave-clears/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172609/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115712737/62m-project-on-york-ave-clears/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Tomasson |first=Robert E. |date=1971-12-12 |title=Housing Planned Near Gracie Mansion |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/12/archives/housing-planned-near-gracie-mansion.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172608/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/12/archives/housing-planned-near-gracie-mansion.html |url-status=live}}

Further details of the $50 million project were announced in December 1971. The {{convert|5|acre|adj=on}} site would have contained 200 low-income, 300 moderate-income, and 700 middle-income apartments, spread across three towers of 20, 41, and 46 stories.{{Cite news |last=Moritz |first=Owen |date=1971-12-12 |title=New Houses to Put Mayor in the Shade |pages=83 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115714104/new-houses-to-put-mayor-in-the/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172608/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115714104/new-houses-to-put-mayor-in-the/ |url-status=live}} Opponents of the plan formed the Neighborhood Committee of the Asphalt Project, led by local doctor George Murphy, in April 1972.{{cite news |last=Goldman |first=John J. |date=21 Oct 1978 |title='Oasis' of Green a Tribute to N.Y. Citizen Effort: 'Asphalt Green' Park |page=A1 |work=Los Angeles Times |id={{ProQuest|158593545}}}} The Neighborhood Committee said the neighborhood lacked recreational areas and that several local schools were under-enrolled. The committee did not object to the low-income component of the project, but it asked the city to build a recreational facility on the site of the middle-income towers.{{Cite news |last=Layton |first=Preston |date=1972-11-05 |title=Protestors Ask Flowers, Not Towers |pages=44 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115712920/protestors-ask-flowers-not/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110153320/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115712920/protestors-ask-flowers-not/ |url-status=live}} The Neighborhood Committee asked the New York City Board of Estimate to rezone the site for recreational use, soliciting the support of 80 percent of nearby buildings' owners. Murphy and his wife Annette circulated a petition to rezone the site, and they organized large groups, which advocated for a recreation center at Planning Commission hearings.

Despite opposition to the redevelopment project, the Planning Commission approved plans in October 1972. Several hundred opponents held a protest outside New York City Hall in November 1972,{{Cite news |last=Darnton |first=John |date=1972-11-02 |title=Parc Vendome Fights 50-Story Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/02/archives/parc-vendome-fights-50story-building.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172614/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/02/archives/parc-vendome-fights-50story-building.html |url-status=live}} and the Board of Estimate narrowly vetoed the original plan for the site that December. The next year, the fund proposed a revised plan with 671 luxury apartments, 288 affordable housing units, and an elementary school for 875 students. The Neighborhood Committee of the Asphalt Project put forth an alternate plan that excluded the luxury units.{{Cite news |last=Weisman |first=Steven R. |date=1973-03-15 |title=500 Differ Sharply On Yorkville Plans And School Needs |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/15/archives/500-differ-sharply-on-yorkville-plans-and-schoo-needs.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103162014/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/15/archives/500-differ-sharply-on-yorkville-plans-and-schoo-needs.html |url-status=live}} Local politicians almost unanimously supported the redevelopment project, except for then-City Council president Sanford Garelik, who endorsed the committee's alternate proposal.{{Cite news |last=Kaiser |first=Charles |date=1976-01-27 |title=Yorkville Group Plans to Convert |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/01/27/archives/yorkville-group-plans-to-convert-slates-a-campaign-to-raise-funds.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190423/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/01/27/archives/yorkville-group-plans-to-convert-slates-a-campaign-to-raise-funds.html |url-status=live}} In March 1974, the city allocated an additional $1.5 million to the redevelopment project.{{Cite news |last=Darnton |first=John |date=1974-03-15 |title=$1.7-Billion Capital Fund Voted by Two City Bodies |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/15/archives/17billion-capital-fund-voted-by-two-city-bodies-estimate-board-and.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172609/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/15/archives/17billion-capital-fund-voted-by-two-city-bodies-estimate-board-and.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Miele |first=Alfred |date=1974-03-15 |title=$1.76B Building Budget for City Gets Approval |pages=236 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115714699/176b-building-budget-for-city-gets/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172608/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115714699/176b-building-budget-for-city-gets/ |url-status=live}} Due to continued opposition from residents, the Educational Construction Fund officially canceled plans for the Municipal Asphalt Plant development in August 1974.{{Cite news |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |date=1974-08-25 |title=Zuccotti Seeks Design Control |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/25/archives/zuccotti-seeks-design-control-zuccotti-seeks-design-control.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172611/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/25/archives/zuccotti-seeks-design-control-zuccotti-seeks-design-control.html |url-status=live}}

File:Asphalt_Green_hazy_jeh.jpg

In the 1970s, the city government constructed a temporary recreation field and two basketball courts outside the mixing plant; the recreation complex became known as Asphalt Green.{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=John |date=1979-09-30 |title=Former asphalt plant now recreation green |pages=549 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689215/former-asphalt-plant-now-recreation/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103034003/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115689215/former-asphalt-plant-now-recreation/ |url-status=live}} Work on the {{convert|120|yd|m|-long|adj=mid}} turf field began in May 1973,{{Cite news |date=1973-09-23 |title=Yorkville Gets Grassy Ball Field On Site of Proposed High-Rises |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/23/archives/yorkville-gets-grassy-ball-filed-on-site-of-proposed-highrises.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172610/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/23/archives/yorkville-gets-grassy-ball-filed-on-site-of-proposed-highrises.html |url-status=live}} and the field was completed that September.{{Cite news |last=Buckley |first=Tom |date=1975-04-11 |title=About New York |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/11/archives/aboutnew-york-green-field-in-yorkville.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190427/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/11/archives/aboutnew-york-green-field-in-yorkville.html |url-status=live}} At the time, it was described as the East Side's only recreation field between 15th and 112nd Streets.{{efn|It has also been described as the only field on Manhattan's East Side between 10th and 112th Streets}} Asphalt Green was funded by $15,000 from the Heckscher Foundation, $20,000 from local residents, and $60,000 from the Vincent Astor Foundation. In addition, Lederle Laboratories donated {{convert|4000|ft3}} of land fill. Asphalt Green hosted 32 school groups and 70 other groups in 1974, its first full year of operation. During the complex's first two years, it hosted 35 American football teams and 145 basketball teams. Prior to the cancellation of the Asphalt Plant redevelopment, about 26,000 local residents signed petitions in early 1974, advocating for Asphalt Green to be preserved.{{Cite news |last=Wyatt |first=Hugh |date=1974-03-12 |title=26,000 Petition to Save Park |pages=166 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115714505/26000-petition-to-save-parkhugh-wyatt/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172614/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115714505/26000-petition-to-save-parkhugh-wyatt/ |url-status=live}}

After Asphalt Green opened, the Heckscher and Vincent Astor foundations continued to fund the recreation center, and other organizations also provided monetary support. These funds allowed Asphalt Green to hire a full-time park supervisor, but the city government still had not provided any funds for the site. After Chase Manhattan Bank gave Asphalt Green a $3,000 grant in September 1975, supporters held a fundraiser for a further renovation of the site.{{Cite news |date=1975-09-21 |title=Fund-Raising Drive Starts For Yorkville Sports Center |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/21/archives/fundraising-drive-starts-for-yorkville-sports-center.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190425/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/21/archives/fundraising-drive-starts-for-yorkville-sports-center.html |url-status=live}} Architectural firm HOK (the successor to Kahn and Jacobs), in collaboration with Giovanni Pasanella and Arvid Klein, were hired to design the renovation. In early 1976, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation offered a $50,000 matching grant for the proposed renovation of the mixing plant, which was still structurally sound but had degraded over time. By then, local politicians unanimously supported the planned renovation. The city government gave the asphalt plant's site to Asphalt Green's operators in 1976.

The Manufacturers Hanover Corporation and Exxon collectively donated a further $40,000 for the mixing plant's renovation in 1977.{{Cite news |last=Mason |first=Bryant |date=1977-03-17 |title=Big Firms Aid Drive for Art, Sport Center |pages=415 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115721348/big-firms-aid-drive-for-art-sport/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103195555/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115721348/big-firms-aid-drive-for-art-sport/ |url-status=live}} As part of the project, Asphalt Green's operators had acquired a fireboat pier on 90th Street the same year; the fireboat pier had housed the New York City Fire Department's Marine Division 5 until 1976. Asphalt Green planned to use the pier, along with a nearby unoccupied island known as Mill Rock, for environmental studies.{{Cite news |date=1978-07-16 |title=Youth Center to Rise From Ashes |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/16/archives/youth-center-to-rise-from-ashes-arson-is-suspected.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190427/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/16/archives/youth-center-to-rise-from-ashes-arson-is-suspected.html |url-status=live}} The pier was rebuilt in 1978 but was subsequently struck by a passing boat,{{Cite news |date=1978-05-06 |title=Nautical School's Pier Shattered In East River Hit-and-Run Case |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/06/archives/nautical-schools-pier-shattered-in-east-river-hitandrun-case.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190424/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/06/archives/nautical-schools-pier-shattered-in-east-river-hitandrun-case.html |url-status=live}} then further damaged by arson; it ultimately reopened in 1979 as a marine-studies center.{{Cite news |last=Johnston |first=Laurie |date=1981-06-05 |title=Renewal Thrives at Asphalt Green |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/05/nyregion/renewal-thrives-at-asphalt-green.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103195555/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/05/nyregion/renewal-thrives-at-asphalt-green.html |url-status=live}} City officials announced plans in May 1979 to convert the former mixing plant into a community center with a gymnasium, theater, and other facilities.{{Cite news |last=King |first=Martin |date=1979-04-17 |title=Asphalt plant coming up roses for East Side neighbors |pages=235 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115717452/asphalt-plant-coming-up-roses-for-east/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190423/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115717452/asphalt-plant-coming-up-roses-for-east/ |url-status=live}} The city government contributed $1.6 million in Federal Community Development Funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the local community raised $800,000. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Asphalt Green also announced that they would renovate the fireboat pier, providing renewable energy for both the mixing plant and the pier.{{Cite news |last=Kihss |first=Peter |date=1979-05-16 |title=Sunshine Now Brings Hot Showers As City Gets a Solar Energy System |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/16/archives/sunshine-now-brings-hot-showers-as-city-gets-a-solar-energy-system.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190429/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/16/archives/sunshine-now-brings-hot-showers-as-city-gets-a-solar-energy-system.html |url-status=live}} A wind turbine on Mill Rock, solar panels on the pier, and a cogeneration plant was to provide much of the mixing plant's electricity.{{Cite news |last=Moritz |first=Owen |date=1980-10-26 |title=In Pursuit of Soft Energy |pages=362 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115769680/in-pursuit-of-soft-energyowen-moritz/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104145621/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115769680/in-pursuit-of-soft-energyowen-moritz/ |url-status=live}}

In 1980, Asphalt Green received $92,000 from the NYSERDA and $82,000 from the Vincent Astor Foundation to fund the establishment of an educational center devoted to energy conservation.{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=1980-01-22 |title=Center on East River to Study Energy; Solar Energy to Be Used |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/22/archives/center-on-east-river-to-study-energy-solar-energy-to-be-used.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190423/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/22/archives/center-on-east-river-to-study-energy-solar-energy-to-be-used.html |url-status=live}} The energy-conservation center opened in May 1981, providing wind and solar power for both the pier and the former mixing plant.{{Cite news |last=King |first=Martin |date=1981-05-10 |title=New energy center has day in the sun |pages=249 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115723804/new-energy-center-has-day-in-the/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103195553/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115723804/new-energy-center-has-day-in-the/ |url-status=live}} At the time, the renovation of the mixing plant was slated to begin later that year. The Neighborhood Committee had raised $1 million from foundations and $300,000 from local residents, but the committee needed to raise another $300,000. The remaining cost was ultimately funded by two developers, who agreed to collectively donate $1.1 million for improvements to the Upper East Side.{{Cite news |last=Gottlieb |first=Martin |date=1983-09-24 |title=Zoning Bonuses in City Provoke Heated Debate |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/24/nyregion/zoning-bonuses-in-city-provoke-heated-debate.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103195553/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/24/nyregion/zoning-bonuses-in-city-provoke-heated-debate.html |url-status=live}} Glenwood Management, which was constructing two buildings directly across York Avenue, agreed to give Asphalt Green $325,000{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=1985-06-28 |title=2 Rental Luxury Towers Rise in the New Yorkville |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/28/business/about-real-estate-2-rental-luxury-towers-rise-in-the-new-yorkvills.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104165232/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/28/business/about-real-estate-2-rental-luxury-towers-rise-in-the-new-yorkvills.html |url-status=live}} in exchange for a 20 percent floor area bonus for both buildings.{{Cite news |last=Oser |first=Alan S. |date=1983-10-02 |title=Debate Sharpens on City's Use of Incentives in Zoning |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/02/realestate/debate-sharpens-on-city-s-use-of-incentives-in-zoning.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103195553/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/02/realestate/debate-sharpens-on-city-s-use-of-incentives-in-zoning.html |url-status=live}} The complex reopened in October 1984 after a $3 million renovation. The mixing plant was renamed in honor of George Murphy and his wife Annette.{{cite web |title=History of Asphalt Green |url=https://www.asphaltgreen.org/about/history |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=Asphalt Green |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816071247/https://asphaltgreen.org/about/history |url-status=live}}

File:Asphalt Green Welcomes home London 2012 Olympian Lia Neal CLS 5891 (7755774140).jpg

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation formally licensed Asphalt Green's operators to use Mill Rock in early 1986.{{Cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Susan Heller |last2=Bird |first2=David |date=1986-04-09 |title=New York Day by Day; Roughing It In the East River |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/09/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-roughing-it-in-the-east-river.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104155421/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/09/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-roughing-it-in-the-east-river.html |url-status=live}} By then, the temporary outdoor field had begun to deteriorate, having been in near-constant use for 11 years. As a result, the Neighborhood Committee received a $600,000 city grant and raised $900,000 to fund the restoration of the field. A new AstroTurf field, replacing the original sod field, was completed that July at a cost of $1.5 million.{{Cite news |date=1986-07-06 |title=Park on Ex-asphalt Site Dedicates Playing Field |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/06/nyregion/park-on-ex-asphalt-site-dedicates-playing-field.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103033953/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/06/nyregion/park-on-ex-asphalt-site-dedicates-playing-field.html |url-status=live}} Murphy was planning to add an aquatic center with an Olympic-size swimming pool; at the time, New York City had no Olympic-size indoor swimming pools, leading him to say that "the greatest city in the world doesn't have the pools for [Olympic athletes] to train". Murphy planned to construct a three-story building with a {{convert|50|m|adj=on}} main pool and two smaller pools for rehabilitation or lessons. At that time, Asphalt Green hosted after-school programs, theatrical performances, and a social club.{{Cite news |last=LeMay |first=Carol |date=1990-11-11 |title=School kids offered greener pastures |pages=37 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115774678/school-kids-offered-greener/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104165236/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115774678/school-kids-offered-greener/ |url-status=live}}

The Board of Estimate gave Asphalt Green a $4 million grant in August 1990 to help fund the swimming center's construction.{{Cite news |date=1990-08-22 |title=Pool for Love |pages=14 |work=Newsday |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115774556/pool-for-love/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104165232/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115774556/pool-for-love/ |url-status=live}} As a condition for receiving the grant, Asphalt Green had to allow free or reduced-free access to its facilities 30 percent of the time. Construction of the swimming center began in October 1991. The project was expected to cost $20 million in total, of which local residents had raised $12 million, in addition to the city's $4 million grant. The architect Richard Dattner was hired to design the swimming center,{{cite magazine |last=Feiden |first=Douglas |date=13 Jan 2002 |title=Small Firms Ballot for Dems Work |magazine=Crain's New York Business |volume=8 |issue=2 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|219140066}}}} known as the AquaCenter. A wading pool, handball courts, and play equipment were removed to make way for the new swimming center. The pool was completed in June 1993, while the gym facilities opened that October. The project ultimately cost $24 million, of which $6 million came from Albert and Barrie Zesiger, respectively the recreation center's chairman and vice chairman. The aquatic center served 3,000 patrons per week by 1994.{{Cite news |last=Moonan |first=Wendy |date=1994-11-03 |title=Currents; The Siren Song of the Sports Center |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/03/garden/currents-the-siren-song-of-the-sports-center.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104165233/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/03/garden/currents-the-siren-song-of-the-sports-center.html |url-status=live}}

The Murphy Center's roof had deteriorated by the late 1990s due to water damage. The State Division for Youth gave a $190,000 grant to fund repairs to the roof, although Asphalt Green officials estimated that a full roof replacement would cost $1.2 million. Asphalt Green's operators built a temporary outdoor swimming pool in 2006, while the main swimming pool underwent repairs; the outdoor swimming pool necessitated the closure of two popular basketball courts. Although the main pool reopened in 2007, the outdoor pool remained in place for over a year.{{Cite news |last=Beyer |first=Gregory |date=2008-04-06 |title=Clamoring to Bring Back Another Sort of Dunking |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/nyregion/thecity/06pool.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104180234/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/nyregion/thecity/06pool.html |url-status=live}} The complex also continued to host other sports such as football, soccer, softball, and baseball, as well as programs such as martial arts, Pilates, and yoga.{{Cite web |last=Cheema |first=Sushil |date=2 Oct 2010 |title=Yorkville: Growing Above and Below Ground |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703859204575525940905830612 |access-date=2023-01-04 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104180234/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703859204575525940905830612 |url-status=live}} The complex gave free swimming lessons to 5,000 students a year by the early 2010s; among its students was 2012 Olympic medalist Lia Neal.{{Cite web |last=Heyman |first=Marshall |date=25 Sep 2012 |title=Upper East Side 'Pool Party' Goes for Gold |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444180004578016620697394216.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=March 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330182220/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444180004578016620697394216.html |url-status=live}}

Meanwhile, the neighboring DSNY waste transfer station had closed in 1999 and city officials proposed reopening it in 2006,{{Cite news |last=Chan |first=Sewell |date=2006-06-27 |title=Clash Over Trash Plan Exposes the City's Fault Lines |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/nyregion/27trash.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104180234/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/nyregion/27trash.html |url-status=live}} though local residents opposed this plan for several years.{{cite web |last=Karni |first=Annie |date=July 14, 2014 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Upper East Side activists want to transform garbage station into High Line-type park |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/upper-class-trash-high-line-type-park-eyed-ues-dump-site-article-1.1865438 |access-date=January 4, 2023 |website=New York Daily News |archive-date=January 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110153904/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/upper-class-trash-high-line-type-park-eyed-ues-dump-site-article-1.1865438 |url-status=live}} The reopening proceeded and City officials announced in late 2014 that Asphalt Green would have to be closed temporarily while an access ramp to the waste transfer station, bisecting the complex at 91st Street, was built.{{cite web |last=Karni |first=Annie |date=November 24, 2014 |title=EXCLUSIVE: City will temporarily close part of Asphalt Green while ramp is built for Upper East Side waste-transfer station |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ramp-construction-close-asphalt-green-park-article-1.2021003 |access-date=January 4, 2023 |website=New York Daily News |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104180235/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ramp-construction-close-asphalt-green-park-article-1.2021003 |url-status=live}} The city government agreed to build another ramp after Asphalt Green officials and residents expressed concerns that the ramp would endanger children crossing the street.{{cite web |date=July 31, 2015 |title=De Blasio Administration Agrees To Move Controversial UES Asphalt Green Access Ramp |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/marine-transfer-station-asphalt-green-ramp/ |access-date=January 4, 2023 |website=CBS News |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104180235/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/marine-transfer-station-asphalt-green-ramp/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Grynbaum |first=Michael M. |date=2015-08-01 |title=New York City to Reroute Garbage Truck Ramp Planned on East Side |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/01/nyregion/city-to-reroute-garbage-truck-ramp-planned-on-east-side.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104180234/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/01/nyregion/city-to-reroute-garbage-truck-ramp-planned-on-east-side.html |url-status=live}} Asphalt Green replaced the Murphy Center's fourth-floor basketball courts in 2015 with a soccer field.{{cite web |last=Weaver |first=Shaye |date=September 16, 2015 |title=Asphalt Green Replaces Basketball Court With Soccer Field to Meet Demand |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150916/yorkville/asphalt-green-replaces-basketball-court-with-soccer-field-meet-demand |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=DNAinfo New York |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103233028/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150916/yorkville/asphalt-green-replaces-basketball-court-with-soccer-field-meet-demand/ |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |date=September 14, 2015 |title=Asphalt Green Inaugurates New Turf Field |url=https://www.nypress.com/news/local-news/asphalt-green-inaugurates-new-turf-field-BLNP1020150915150919980 |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=NY Press |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103233026/https://www.nypress.com/news/local-news/asphalt-green-inaugurates-new-turf-field-BLNP1020150915150919980 |url-status=live}} At the end of that year, Asphalt Green officials announced plans to renovate the other three floors of the Murphy Center for $2.2 million.{{cite web |last=Weaver |first=Shaye |date=December 22, 2015 |title=Furturistic Exercise Experience Coming to Asphalt Green |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20151222/yorkville/furturistic-exercise-experince-coming-asphalt-green |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=DNAinfo New York |archive-date=August 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815105415/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20151222/yorkville/furturistic-exercise-experince-coming-asphalt-green/ |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |date=December 21, 2015 |title=Asphalt Green Offers Curtain-Raiser On High Tech Renovations |url=https://www.amny.com/news/asphalt-green-offers-curtain-raiser-high-tech-renovations/ |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=amNewYork |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103233026/https://www.amny.com/news/asphalt-green-offers-curtain-raiser-high-tech-renovations/ |url-status=live}} The filters in the main swimming pool were replaced in 2017 for $700,000.{{cite web |last=Krisel |first=Brendan |date=September 29, 2017 |title=Pool At Upper East Side's Asphalt Green Reopens With New Filter System |url=https://patch.com/new-york/upper-east-side-nyc/pool-upper-east-sides-asphalt-green-reopens-new-filter-system |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=Upper East Side, NY Patch |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115161624/https://patch.com/new-york/upper-east-side-nyc/pool-upper-east-sides-asphalt-green-reopens-new-filter-system |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Darcy |first=Andrew |date=September 28, 2017 |title=Asphalt Green Installs New Eco-Friendly Filters in Olympic-Size Pool, With Support From City Council Member Ben Kallos |url=https://citylimits.org/2017/09/28/asphalt-green-installs-new-eco-friendly-filters-in-olympic-size-pool-with-support-from-city-council-member-ben-kallos/ |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=City Limits |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103234529/https://citylimits.org/2017/09/28/asphalt-green-installs-new-eco-friendly-filters-in-olympic-size-pool-with-support-from-city-council-member-ben-kallos/ |url-status=live}} The outdoor field was renamed Litwin Field in 2019 after Glenwood Management chief executive Leonard Litwin, a longtime donor to Asphalt Green.{{cite press release |title=Asphalt Green to Unveil New Field Named After the Late Leonard Litwin of Glenwood Management |website=Asphalt Green |date=August 25, 2019 |url=https://asphaltgreen.org/press-publicity/asphalt-green-to-unveil-new-field-named-after-the-late-leonard-litwin-of-gl/ |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103233027/https://asphaltgreen.org/press-publicity/asphalt-green-to-unveil-new-field-named-after-the-late-leonard-litwin-of-gl/ |url-status=live}}

Robert Moses, New York City's parks commissioner at the time of the asphalt plant's completion in 1944, had a negative view of what he dubbed the "Cathedral of Asphalt",{{Cite web |title=Controversial Municipal Asphalt Plant Chosen by Museum of Modern Art as Outstanding Example of Recent American Architecture |url=https://www.moma.org/momaorg/shared/pdfs/docs/press_archives/931/releases/MOMA_1944_0017_1944-04-17_44417-14a.pdf?2010 |access-date=May 1, 2016 |publisher=Museum of Modern Art |archive-date=May 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509114329/https://www.moma.org/momaorg/shared/pdfs/docs/press_archives/931/releases/MOMA_1944_0017_1944-04-17_44417-14a.pdf?2010 |url-status=live}} deriding it as a "freakish experiment".{{harvnb|Stern|Stuart|2006|pp=197–198|ps=.}} In a 1943 op-ed for The New York Times, Moses described the plant as one instance of the "horrible modernistic stuff" being built around New York City. In a 1947 article for The Washington Post, Moses called the Municipal Asphalt Plant and the neighboring ash plant "two of the most hideous water-front structures ever inflicted on a city by a combination of architectural conceit and official bad taste".{{cite news |last=Moses |first=Robert |date=15 June 1947 |title=Functional Building Hit as Dishonest, Silly |page=R4 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|151930443}}}} Moses's comments prompted Binger to defend the design in a New York Times article.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) displayed a model of the Municipal Asphalt Plant in a 1944 exhibit, "Art in Progress", which showcased 47 buildings that MoMA's staff considered "outstanding examples of good design". MoMA curator Elizabeth Bauer Mock lauded the plant, saying that it created an "exciting experience for motorists on the adjacent super-highway".{{harvnb|Stern|Stuart|2006|p=198|ps=.}} MoMA also defended the plant in Built in U.S.A., 1932-1944, a book that accompanied the exhibition. The March 1944 issue of Architectural Forum wrote, "Certainly the contrast of cube and ellipse offered by the two main buildings is a radical departure from the conventional brick fortification style of older industrial buildings, but this novel form is fully justified by the functions and machinery it encloses." Architectural Forum attributed the building's "chopped off and incomplete" appearance to the fact that, at the time of the plant's completion, concrete arches had only been used for structures such as drill halls, auditoriums, and hangars.

After the 1980s renovation, Paul Goldberger of the Times said that renovation architects HOK and Pasanella + Klein "did all they could to preserve the essence of this great industrial building". Another Times writer said the Murphy Center "looks somewhat like a huge half-buried sardine can". When Jacobs died in 1993, Richard D. Lyons of the Times described the Municipal Asphalt Plant as "perhaps the [Kahn and Jacobs] firm's most notable structure" and said that, aside from Moses's commentary, architects generally had positive impressions of the building's design.{{Cite news |last=Lyons |first=Richard D. |date=1993-11-05 |title=Robert Jacobs, 88, An Architect Noted For Asphalt Plant |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/05/obituaries/robert-jacobs-88-an-architect-noted-for-asphalt-plant.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922023124/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/05/obituaries/robert-jacobs-88-an-architect-noted-for-asphalt-plant.html |url-status=live}} Ralph Gardner Jr. of The Wall Street Journal wrote in 2011 that, after the Municipal Asphalt Plant was converted into Asphalt Green, it had "become singularly successful, something of a town square, its facilities attracting everyone from children arriving for swimming lessons to the elderly."{{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=Ralph Jr. |date=7 Jul 2011 |title=Wading Into a Waste Case |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303544604576430092531924996.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810074827/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303544604576430092531924996.html |url-status=live}}

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the mixing plant as a New York City landmark in January 1976; for several years, it was the youngest building in New York City to be designated as a landmark.{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=1982-11-10 |title=Lever House Office Tower Declared a City Landmark |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/10/nyregion/lever-house-office-tower-declared-a-city-landmark.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830124515/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/10/nyregion/lever-house-office-tower-declared-a-city-landmark.html |url-status=live}} At the time, Goldberger wrote that the mixing plant was a "crucial modern monument in the city" and that "it has been doing unofficial landmark duty for a long time".{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=1976-01-27 |title=Asphalt Plant Into Gymnasium |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/01/27/archives/asphalt-plant-into-gymnasium-shape-of-building-called-adaptable-to.html |access-date=2023-01-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103042919/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/01/27/archives/asphalt-plant-into-gymnasium-shape-of-building-called-adaptable-to.html |url-status=live}}{{harvnb|Stern|Stuart|2006|p=199|ps=.}} Conversely, some critics of the LPC questioned whether the mixing plant was even worthy of landmark status.{{Cite news |last=White |first=Joyce |date=1982-03-10 |title=The Landmarks Backlash |pages=95 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115740277/the-landmarks-backlashjoyce-white/ |access-date=2023-01-03}} Kent Barwick of the LPC said that, by giving landmark status to such structures as the Municipal Asphalt Plant, sidewalk clocks, and the interiors of several New York City Subway stations, the LPC was "getting closer to [...] a complete package" with regards to the types of structures that received landmark status.{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=1983-02-13 |title=Landmarks, Too, Often Change With the Times |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/13/weekinreview/landmarks-too-often-change-with-the-times.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202210438/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/13/weekinreview/landmarks-too-often-change-with-the-times.html |url-status=live}} The mixing plant was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.{{Cite news |last=King |first=Martin |date=1980-09-26 |title=Youth center now landmark |pages=156 |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115769565/youth-center-now-landmarkmartin-king/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104145619/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115769565/youth-center-now-landmarkmartin-king/ |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}

Asphalt Green Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, operates the former Municipal Asphalt Plant.{{Cite web |first1=Ken |last1=Schwencke |first2=Mike |last2=Tigas |first3=Sisi |last3=Wei |first4=Alec |last4=Glassford |first5=Andrea |last5=Suozzo |first6=Brandon |last6=Roberts |date=2013-05-09 |title=Asphalt Green Inc - Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/136533158 |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=ProPublica |language=en |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103233616/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/136533158 |url-status=live}} George Murphy founded the organization in 1975, while he was advocating to convert the plant into a recreation center. Asphalt Green operates the recreation center in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the New York City Council.{{cite web |title=Asphalt Green Highlights |publisher=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation |date=June 26, 1939 |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/asphalt-green/history |access-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602003236/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/asphalt-green/history |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=History of Asphalt Green |website=Asphalt Green |url=https://www.asphaltgreen.org/about/history |access-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816071247/https://asphaltgreen.org/about/history |url-status=live}} The organization operates youth and adult sports programs,{{Cite web |title=Asphalt Green Mission Statement {{!}} Asphalt Green |url=https://www.asphaltgreen.org/mission |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=www.asphaltgreen.org |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103233613/https://www.asphaltgreen.org/mission |url-status=live}} one-third of which are free to the public. Asphalt Green opened a second recreation center in Battery Park City in 2013;{{cite web |title=ASPHALT GREEN INC |url=https://www.open990.org/org/136533158/asphalt-green-inc/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Open990 |archive-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125194352/https://www.open990.org/org/136533158/asphalt-green-inc/ |url-status=live}} the Battery Park City facility contains a swimming pool, gymnasium, fitness center, and outdoor fields.{{cite web |title=A peek at Battery Park City's Asphalt Green |website=amNewYork |date=June 6, 2013 |url=https://www.amny.com/news/a-peek-at-battery-park-citys-ashalt-green/ |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103233613/https://www.amny.com/news/a-peek-at-battery-park-citys-ashalt-green/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Hughes |first=C. J. |date=2011-08-19 |title=After Four Decades, Finishing a Planned City |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/realestate/final-parcels-developed-in-battery-park-city-posting.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104180234/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/realestate/final-parcels-developed-in-battery-park-city-posting.html |url-status=live}}

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets

{{Notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite magazine |date=Mar 1944 |title=Municipal Asphalt Plant |url=https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1944-03.pdf |magazine=Architectural Forum |volume=80 |ref={{harvid|Architectural Forum|1944}}}}
• {{cite report |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002702.pdf |title=Municipal Asphalt Plant |last= |first= |date=23 May 1980 |publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service |access-date= |website= |ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1980}}}}
• {{Cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0905.pdf |title=Municipal Asphalt Plant |date=Jan 27, 1976 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1976}}}}
• {{Cite New York 1930}}
• {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/elyjacqueskahnar0000ster |last1=Stern |first1=Jewel |last2=Stuart |first2=John A. |title=Ely Jacques Kahn, Architect: Beaux-arts to Modernism in New York |publisher=Norton |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-393-73114-9 |url-access=registration |pages=197–199}}

{{commonscat|Asphalt Green}}

• {{official website|}}

{{Upper East Side}}

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}

{{Protected areas of New York City}}

Category:1944 establishments in New York City

Category:1968 disestablishments in New York (state)

Category:1973 establishments in New York City

Category:Government buildings completed in 1944

Category:Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan

Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan

Category:Industrial buildings completed in 1973

Category:Parks established in the 1970s

Category:Protected areas established in 1973

Category:Parks in Manhattan

Category:Yorkville, Manhattan

Category:1940s architecture in the United States