Arlene Harrison and Tom Pike outside the gates of Gramercy Park Julie Zeveloff/Business Insider Gramercy Park, the gated oasis wedged into a square block on the east side of Manhattan, has the distinction of being Manhattan's only private park.

That means the average tourist—and even most neighborhood residents—can't get in: only people who live in one of the 39 townhouses or buildings surrounding the park can access the keys that unlock the wrought iron gates.

The park is steeped in history. It's surrounded by some of the city's oldest apartment buildings, and the roster of former and current residents of the neighborhood include architect Stanford White and Oscar Wilde. Two presidents, Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, played in the park as children.

We recently sat down with Arlene Harrison, one of five park trustees and the founder of the Gramercy Park Block Association, and Tom Pike, another trustee and a former New York City Landmarks Commissioner, to uncloak some of the mystery surrounding the two-acre plot.