Riverbank State Park opened to the public in 1993, quickly becoming one of New York State’s busiest parks. Occupying the 28-acre roof of the North River Sewage Treatment Facility on the Hudson River, Riverbank is New York City’s first public green roof and one of the largest still today.

A first-of-its-kind recreation facility with numerous year-round recreational amenities, Riverbank has become a true community amenity. Housed in five major buildings are an Olympic-size 50-meter swimming pool complex, a covered skating rink for rolling skating in the summer and ice skating in the winter, an 800-seat cultural theater, an indoor athletic complex with fitness facilities, and a 150-seat restaurant with views of the river.

Outdoor amenities include a 25-yard lap pool, a wading pool, four tennis courts, four basketball courts, a softball field, four hand/paddleball courts, a playground, and a 400-meter eight-lane running track surrounding a football/soccer field. The park experience feels much like being on a ship in the river. At water level, there is a 400-seat amphitheater. An educational greenhouse, two playgrounds, a children’s carousel, and several picnic areas round out the park’s many offerings.

Riverbank features spectacular promenade views of the Hudson River, the Palisades, and the George Washington Bridge. The siting of the park’s buildings had to take into account the treatment plant’s location on the riverbank and the subsequent potential for flooding, wind exposure, and views of the river. Four of the park buildings are clustered inward around a south-facing courtyard for protection against winter winds blowing off the Hudson. Fiberglass skylights are set in pyramids at the four corners of each building. The park is ringed by a promenade high above the Hudson and clad in concrete with arched openings that respect the form of the nearby bridge.