a neighborhood community group, received $35,000 in grant funding from the Kaplan Foundation to work on the park. A portion was used to assess what the park needed done most urgently, while a second portion went to restructure the largely disorganized Friends volunteer group. The resulting "revitalization plan" suggested further maintenance and capital improvements and enhancements to its character and appearance. The study also found there was still a widespread perception of danger, and that the park needed additional security measures and better management. 21st century By 2001, Morningside Park's condition had improved because of ongoing reconstruction projects, and it was no longer considered as dangerous an area as it had been in the 1970s. That year, a master plan for the park was approved. Several stairs and entrances were rebuilt, including at or near 114th, 116th, 120th, and 122nd Streets, and playgrounds to the south of the ball fields and at the park's northeast corner were renovated. The ball fields and northern section's scenery were restored in 2006, and construction began on a playground north of 116th Street in 2007. This playground was completed in late 2008. Morningside Park was designated a New York City landmark in 2008, decades after similar statuses had been conferred upon Central and Riverside Parks. Since then, several other improvements have taken place; in 2009, more trees were planted, including a sequoia tree. Two years later, NYC Parks presented a plan to restore the northern section, including the playground there, known as the 123rd Street Playground. The playground was renovated in two phases: in 2013 and in 2019. Furthermore, the 118th Street Playground was rebuilt between December 2019 and March 2021 for $3.3 million. The area around Morningside Park, once a desolate area with a reputation for being crime-ridden, had become gentrified by the 2010s. Fears of crime remained, especially after 18-year-old Barnard College student Tessa Majors was fatally stabbed in a late-2019 mugging within the park. Columbia University student Davide Giri was fatally stabbed nearby in 2021 in what The New York Times called "an eerie reprise" of Majors's death. Features Recreational features Morningside Park contains several sporting fields. Two baseball fields and a basketball court are at the southern end of the park. Three other basketball courts are near the central portion of Morningside Park. To the north are two basketball courts and four handball courts. There are also children's play structures