in and around the park, public space, NYC & more
20 Years Ago Today Everything changed after 9/11, a very sad day in New York City, 20 Years Ago Today. When you could see the Twin Towers directly through the middle of the Washington Square … Read more…
Girl with Sketchpad Fountain Steps Washington Square Park, 1956. Photo: Nat Norman Learn more about this time period at the park here: 1950s & 60s Washington Square Captured in New Exhibit, Folk City, at Museum … Read more…
The New York City Parks Department prepared an Archaeological Assessment of Washington Square Park in 2005 prior to the park’s controversial redesign (2007-2014+). The affiliated map outlines where long-forgotten Minetta Creek flows (once flowed?) under … Read more…
A Pivotal Piece of the Park’s History 60 years ago this month, the Washington Square Park “Folk Riot”, a pivotal part of this Greenwich Village park’s history, occurred. That date, April 9, 1961, and what … Read more…
Dubbed “Arch Conspirators,” John Sloan Memorialized the Takeover of the Arch in 1917 Much about Washington Square Park today remains informed by the artist-led Arch Conspirators’ takeover of the Arch in 1917 and the Folk … Read more…
A must watch! This holiday video set to Karen Carpenter’s “Sleigh Ride” highlights kids sledding and frolicking in the snow on the old Mounds at Washington Square Park in December 2008 before their remodeling. It … Read more…
Well, it is All Souls’ Day, isn’t it? 20,000 Bodies are Buried Underneath the Park This time of year seems to rile up and unearth the dead bodies beneath Washington Square Park. It is believed … Read more…
In late June, the Arch at Washington Square Park was doused with red paint. This occurred after the NYPD attacked protesters the previous evening at the Queer Liberation March for Black Lives against police brutality … Read more…
Today is Labor Day in the United States. Labor Day did not just happen. Workers/people fought for this day of recognition via events such as this demonstration in Washington Square Park on Labor Day in … Read more…
Ah, simpler times? Photo via History Lovers Club on Twitter
The original tagline of Washington Square Park Blog, which published its first post twelve years ago today, was: “the chronicles of a beloved park and a city government overcome by its own power.” This blog … Read more…
John Sloan Memorialized the Artists’ – Including himself, Marcel Duchamp and Gertrude Drick – Takeover of the Arch I believe that much about current Washington Square Park is informed by the Arch Conspirators’ takeover of … Read more…
The Village Voice, founded in 1955, sadly shuttered its print publication on September 21, 2017, only continuing its online version until late August 2018. However, on Twitter, there is still some entity promoting its content. … Read more…
The little known history of when the Washington Square Park fountain was turned into a sanctioned wading pool during the Robert Moses era was looked into recently by Untapped Cities. As part of an earlier … Read more…
Last week, Community Board 2 held a “public hearing” on the NYC Parks Department’s plans to rebury “human remains” dug up during the park’s redesign construction back into Washington Square Park. We covered what … Read more…