Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park is a public park located within the New York City borough of Manhattan. One of more than 1,700 parks in New York City, Washington Square is, along with Central Park, arguably one of the most well-known parks in New York City.

Related Topics:
New York City - Borough - Manhattan - Central Park

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Because it is surrounded by New York University—indeed, the park doubles as the university's "campus green"—and that it is a part of Greenwich Village, the park is typically inhabited by a variety of bohemian, intellectual, and non-traditional people. Perhaps because of this, the park has developed a reputation for being a drug dealing hotspot, a fact often remarked upon in contemporary fictional accounts.

Related Topics:
New York University - Greenwich Village - Drug dealing - Fiction

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The 9.75 acre park is a major landmark in Lower Manhattan, as well as being a popular meeting place. Little of the park is actually used for plantings, as much of it is paved. The two prominent features are Washington's Arch and the large fountain in the center of the park. Various statues and monuments are displayed in the park; in addition to the obvious monument to George Washington, there is a prominent statue of Garibaldi.

Related Topics:
Lower Manhattan - George Washington - Garibaldi

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The park is bordered by Washington Square North (also known as Waverly Place) to the north, Washington Square East (also known as University Place) to the east, Washington Square South (also known as West 4th Street) to the south, and Macdougal Street to the west.

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The property for the park was originally acquired in 1797 beside Minetta Brook for the purpose of a potter's field. The cemetery was eventually closed in 1823 and designated as a public park.

Related Topics:
1797 - Potter's field - Cemetery - 1823

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In 1871, the park was relandscaped by the newly formed New York City Department of Parks.

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In 1889, to celebrate the centennial of George Washington's inauguracy as president of the United States, a large plaster and wood Memorial Arch was erected at the northern entrance to the park. The plaster and wood arch was replaced in 1892 with a marble arch designed by Stanford White, standing at 77 feet.

Related Topics:
1889 - George Washington - President - United States - Memorial Arch - 1892 - Marble - Stanford White

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Built-in chess tables encourage outdoor playing along with throngs of watchers (in his youth, Stanley Kubrick was a frequent player). These tables were featured in the 1994 film, Searching for Bobby Fischer. The Washington Square tables form the cornerstone of what is called Manhattan's "chess district," as the area around the park has a number of chess shops in addition to the playing locations.

Related Topics:
Chess - Stanley Kubrick - Searching for Bobby Fischer

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Each year, thousands of New York University graduates march under the arch into the park to participate in commencement.

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As of 2005, Greenwich Village is embroiled in a controversy over the NYC Parks Department's proposed redesign plan, which would cost roughly 16 million dollars. The most controversial aspect of the proposed plan is a four-foot fence to be built around the park. Other debated points include the relocation of landmarks such as the Garibaldi statue and the fountain, raising the entire park to street level, and the fact that the park's history as a cemetary means that renovations may "disturb hallowed ground." In July 2005, a lawsuit was filed against the Parks Department, arguing that their plan to redesign the park is "arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable and illegal."

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