in and around the park, public space, NYC & more
Washington Square Park Blog turns 10 today! The first WSP Blog post: The magical park February 26, 2008 When I first got involved with what was going on at Washington Square Park, someone referred to … 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…
The statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi in Washington Square Park was moved during the park’s controversial redesign (2007-2014+) from his long-standing location facing west looking towards the fountain to face south, where he is now. Garibaldi … Read more…
Washington Square Park Once a “Potters Field” – Skeletons, Bones, Burial Vaults, Tombstones Unearthed Repeatedly During Construction Over Last 10 Years Well, it is All Souls’ Day, isn’t it? This time of year seems to … Read more…
“When cities rely on private donors, we end up with sterile, controlled environments,” states the preface to a recent New York Times Op Ed, How Parks Lose Their Playfulness. The piece delves into the redesign … Read more…
Updated 5:49 p.m.Why do I still think of NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver as ‘new’? He has held the position for three years now hired by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Previous Bloomberg Administration Parks Commissioner … Read more…
Washington Square Park has experienced extreme flooding repeatedly when it rains of paths leading to the Fountain Plaza shortly after its Redesign by the Bloomberg Administration. It is impossible to walk along the pathways east … Read more…
A must watch! This video highlights the ebullience of kids sledding and frolicking in the snow on the old Mounds at Washington Square Park in December 2008 before they were remodeled. Set to Karen Carpenter’s … Read more…
This time of year seems to rile and unearth the dead bodies beneath Washington Square Park. It is believed up to 20,000 bodies lie beneath this Greenwich Village park, dating back to when the space … Read more…
Ahh… the Mounds. The Mounds were part of the 1970s Washington Square Park design, removed in the initial Bloomberg Administration redo plans, and only exist now at the park because community advocates and former City … Read more…
After Michael Ratner, “one of America’s foremost human rights lawyers” and a Greenwich Village resident, died in May, a well-kept secret was revealed: Ratner had funded lawsuits that aimed to stop the Bloomberg Administration’s controversial … Read more…
This post has been updated and moved here: Revealed: Eminent Attorney Michael Ratner Anonymously Funded Lawsuits Which Aimed to Halt Washington Square Park’s Contentious Redesign | Ratner Died in May Check the new version out!
Community Board 2 Parks Committee met last week, February 3rd, for its monthly meeting, addressing Washington Square Park for the first time since last summer. Part I of this report-back focuses on the status of … Read more…
As 2015 ended, The Wall Street Journal took a look at the building that houses Washington Square Park’s administrative offices and bathrooms, giving the structure all kinds of accolades. The article, while fairly comprehensive about … Read more…
Ahhh… memories. This is a December 2007 view from the NYU Kimmel Center along Washington Square South right before the redesign construction began which occurred right after Christmas if I recall correctly. Notice how the … Read more…