At these early meetings, the Friends prepared a questionnaire which was delivered door to door throughout the neighborhood. The answers we received told us that the people who lived and worked near Duane Park cared about their historic park and wanted to see it restored as an attractive green spot in the heart of Tribeca. They wanted to see the planting areas protected from people and dogs. They wanted to see the litter cleaned up. They wanted to see the planting areas filled with flowers and shrubs. Many neighbors offered to help.

The Friends made a major commitment to the future of the Park when it decided to take on responsibility for hiring a caretaker to spend an hour every weekday cleaning up the park. The Friends has maintained this commitment since the spring of 1995, hiring the caretaker, managing the maintenance effort, and raising the necessary funds. Also in the spring of 1995, the Friends held the first of its annual planting days. On the first of two days, a dozen volunteers broke up the hard soil and added peat moss and fertilizer. On the second day, shrubs were planted around the sides and ground covers and flowering plants were spread across the center. By then, openings in the fence had been filled with temporary fencing. The park was green once more.

By the summer of 1995, the Friends of Duane Park was ready to move forward on a complete overhaul and restoration of Duane Park. Our research into the history of the park showed us that it had once had much larger planting areas and a pleasing informal character. We were fortunate that a distinguised designer with considerable experience in designing and improving city parks was a neighbor who lives and works in buildings overlooking the park. Signe Nielsen has been an invaluable ally since our first meeting with her. She has donated immense amounts of time and talent to conceptualizing the restoration design, negotiating with the Parks Department, making presentations to the Parks Department, the Landmarks Preservation Committee, and the Fine Arts Commission, making and remaking drawings to meet every objection and accomodate every suggestion.

The decision to restore the park committed us to a much larger fund-raising effort. We were fortunate that in 1995 Councilwoman Kathryn Freed donated $150,000 of the funds she had available from the city's capital budget for projects in her district. We received other grants as well. Our annual fund-raising drives have been a demonstration of the importance of Duane Park to those who live near it. In the fall of 1996 we held the first of our Tribeca Loft Tours, raising $7,500. Many people bought tickets to see the great variety of ways Tribecans find to make the most of their loft spaces. Following this success, the Friends held a second tour in 1997 that brought in an additional $7,000.

The effort to restore the park has been long and difficult. We wanted the new design to recover the secluded feeling of earlier designs while maintaining a sense of security and providing space for the many people who like to stop by at lunch hour or like to use the park in the early evening, and on weekends. The plans had to meet demanding requirements of the Parks Department, and of course they had to stay within our budget. We have had extensive negotiations with the Parks Department over every detail of the design. Our partnership with the Parks Department has been challenging at times, but it has worked. The restored park meets the highest standards of safety, utility, and attractiveness.