For those wishing to place a memorial or a tribute to a loved one in the park, we offer the opportunity to provide a beautiful public amenity to the park through a new bench in their name. Both styles of benches we have available, with a backrest or without, are crafted from natural wood with sturdy metal footings, the designs selected to blend into the park setting along the Palisades.

A bench with a backrest can be donated for $1,500. A bench without a backrest can be donated for $1,100.

Our preference is to replace existing, older-style benches through your donation, but we will do our best to honor your wishes for where you would like the bench to be placed, pending park management considerations — or you may of course permit us to select the most useful replacement site with your donation.

To begin arrangements for donating a memorial bench, please send an email to Eric Nelsen at enelsen@njpalisades.org (tel: 201-768-1360 ext. 6108).

Included with your donation is a 2.5-by-10-inch bronze memorial plaque. As a rough guideline, this plaque will support around three or four lines of text with up to about 25 characters per line, depending on the relative font sizes, etc., on the lines. Plaque size (2.5 by 10 inches) and material (bronze casting) are fixed, but options like simple art or slightly longer text may be possible (in some cases, additional costs may apply). The memorial plaque inscription will be placed subject to review by the Commission. Except for the memorial plaque included with your bench donation, no additional plaques or signage are allowed.

Benches are installed in the order in which we receive payment for them. It typically takes about eight weeks from reciept of your check to installation of the bench and plaque, though supplies, time of year, weather, and other factors can lengthen this timeframe.

Your check should be made payable to Palisades Interstate Park Commission and mailed to

PIPC Bench Program
Box 155
Alpine, NJ 07620

Please note that after a bench is installed, beyond routine maintenance and upkeep, the Commission cannot be responsible for replacement should the bench be damaged or destroyed.