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The planned makeover of Washington Square Park inched closer to reality yesterday following a decision by the state appeals court. The new ruling lifts an injunction imposed last summer in response to allegations that the Parks Department had not sufficiently disclosed its renovation plans to Community Board 2, The Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the Art Commission.
The Sun says the plaintiffs will appeal the decision, but The Times says they're not so sure. Two other lawsuits demanding environmental review are still pending.
The proposed redesign represents an obsessive scratching of the neo-Beaux-Arts itch. The curious notion that the fountain must at all costs be shifted to create a rigid visual axis with the triumphal arch (designed by Stanford White in 1892) diverges from both Olmsteadian or "naturalistic" landscape theory and contemporary landscape design exemplified in more progressive projects such as the upcoming Highline and Fresh Kills parks. Or should the Highline be rerouted to line up with, say, the Freedom Tower?
Photograph by insunlight on Flickr (right) and nycjournal on Flickr (left).
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I've yet to hear anything resembling a valid explanation as to WHY this needs to happen. Maintenance, yes, a sprucing up, yes, getting rid of the mounds, maybe... but a complete redesign? Why fix what very obviously isn't broken?
Why is it that people who cannot appreciate WSP as it is feel the need to change it so it's just like every other park? Its asymmetry, which grew out of its history (there used to be real streets running through it) is part of what makes it special.
If Adrian Benepe and his soulless hordes (and soulless masters) cannot appreciate WSP as it is, I would suggest they hang out someplace else and leave it to those of us who like it fine the way it is.
As an NYU student graduating this May, I demand an appeal. Otherwise we graduate from Shea or MSG, two of the ugliest places in the city.
Also, WSP is great just the way it is. Dog park smell aside, of course.
Bunch of unbelievable morons wasting money on something entirely pointless.
First of all, there is beauty in asymmetry. Second, how about fixing up parts of the city that are actually falling apart, such as roads, the subway system, our school system or maybe parks that look like war zones in the outer boroughs. Third, maybe, just maybe spend some money on something that actually improves the quality of life in this city... a monorail, elevated sidewalks, free coffee on sundays... anything but this idiotic "lets move the fountain 8 feet to the right" stupidity.
I reiterate, asymmetry is beautiful! Wasting money is, politicians (aka jackasses).
I agree Washington Square needs a serious dusting, but a complete revamping? I love its funky imperfectness. Why should a park surrounded by a college end up looking like Gramercy Park?
So...it's still going to be a park, right? Good, then I'm all for it.
It's going to have a better layout, a better fountain, a better view down 5th Avenue, new benches, new sidewalks and more trees. Did I miss something about why this is a bad idea? Yes, it's expensive, but in the end it will look better.
They're removing 32 grown trees to do this work. And there's nothing wrong with the way it looks now.
I like it the old way!
You could have more trees, sidewalks, benches, etc., without altering the park.
But then again, you couldn't make it look more familiar to all the visitors from far-flung points who are bringing their blessed spawn to look over NYU and are depserate to find something that looks like home.
Anyone else wonder if that's what's really going on here?
Tim, I've been sitting here in my head arguing against what you said about this being an NYU plot and then arguing with myself about how you might be right. The only argument I wasn't able to simply refute with the "but it's NYU," is that "they wouldn't do this, it would be too much of a disruption." Based on what Rick said, construction would begin before commencement and thus disrupt it, but NYU seems to love saying they have commencement there (and it was a good time when I graduated). For students going to and from various buildings, the best way is through the park, and for students between classes, the park is a great place to hang out; this would seriously disrupt daily student life for a period of time.
Also, there's enough animosity (and rightfully so) towards NYU in the community, that I feel that no matter what lies were told to the CB, if they had a whiff that NYU was related to this process, they never would have approved of anything.
disgraceful waste of money.
Money that could be spent on healthcare. Or the police department....
The goal is also partly to squelch activism :(
This is so depression for the park; it is actually going to reduce the plaza size, making harder, among other things, protests and demonstrations.
The visual axis thing is pretty neat, though; one day the fountain, the arch and the Freedom Tower will line up perfectly.
how about we petition it to be closed and reopened as the cemetary it once was until that closed in 1823.
or to further throw in some history, maybe we should dig it all up and let minetta brook run into it as the marsh that was once there...
or we could give it back the indians and let them continue to grow the tobacco they used to grow there.
no one ever likes progress or redesign.
that said, build on.
i've been hanging out in WSP since i moved here 14 years ago. yes, i agree, some maintanence is necessary but the rest of it? a waste of time and money. i also agree that the charm of WSP is in its asymmetry.
is there a petition to stop this? or to fight it? there are so many more places to put that money.
when the funds that are used for the "progress and redesign" of WSP could be put towards more pertinent issues, like creating a usuable and efficent subway system, that is when no one likes either of those buzzword concepts
they're wasting your tax dollars, ed ex. why do you insist on defaulting to a pro-development stance, even on an issue that brings fiscal conservatives and liberal protestors to the same side of the table?
you're a pathetic piece of contrarian shit.
#16: You're an ignoramus.
Actually I was sort of just f***ing around, re: NYU, but still, would anyone be surprised?
edEx, I see your points, but what about balanced progress? I see the reason for improving the park, but not for changing it. What are we accomplishing? The charm of the park is that it's *not* like every place else. There's no reason to change it. It's not like a building that someone purchases and therefore becomes their property to do with as they see fit. Was there a clamor in the community for change?
The trick would be to improve the park without f***ing it all up. But it seems our elected officials don't have the time or brain power (or dare I say it, appreciation and soul) to make the effort.
i could see a major uproar if the fountain was being removed or the arch disassembled, but serioulsy, by the looks of the plan drawing, they're sprucing it up, more vegitation, more user friendly. big deal.
a waste of tax payer money? yeah... a big waste—as was building central park over 100 years ago.
Anyone else wonder if that's what's really going on here?
People in this city can never leave anything alone. I think that basically covers it. Making it like every other park seems like a waste of money to me. "Character" isn't always a synonym for "crappy"
edEx, your idiocy astounds me. comparing the proposed "improvements" to wsp, to the creation of central park is probably the most idiotic anaology i've ever encountered in your posts.
i'd like to see how much money is budgeted for moving the fountain. why don't you try to justify the importance, not to mention the cost/benefit analysis of that, you simple minded turd. while you're at it, since you're obviously such a tree loving central park fan, please do us the honor of justifying the proposal to remove 32 mature trees from the park, as a result of this so-called improvement.
blah. get nice and personal about it, buddy. ugh, save it for the CB meetings about the dog run. the fountain needs to be torn up to fix all the underground leaks anyway. if the design calls for it to be moved, while it is being torn up *anyway*, and it fits with the designers vision and overall plan, great. if you're such a good designer, why didn't they ask you to slap something together?
and to all of you proposing that this is taking money away from the PD, schools, subway system: you have a serious deficiency of knowledge about the city's financing. parks & rec gets (literally) less than 1% of the city's budget. this money goes to maintenance and stuff while capital projects such as this are financed through bonds, fed, state and council money, and private donations.
also, as for the editorializing in the original post, it is stupid and meaningless.
you might have a point, edex, if they were actually 'building' or developing anything. they're not. they are rearranging what's already there at a very high price tag.
it doesn't take an economic genius to know that public projects aren't miraculously self-funded. where do you think the fed, state, and council money comes from? where do you think the bonds originate? if it were a pivate venture, fine. it's not. it doesn't matter how you dress it, it's public money.
#21: does it hurt when you breathe? my entire post flew over your head, nothing new— you're reading comprehension is as good as a 3rd grader. you must be from middle america, posing as a billyburgian hipster with a high-grade edu and nothing to show for it. 3 points for me.
most of it was a joke intended to rattle the broken windows in your empty skull—i was successful, 2points for me.
1. never said to move fountain
2. never said to take down arch
3. i love central park, dearly. i made the analogy for people like you who fly off the handle—it worked. 2 points for me.
4. how about using a handle with your name and not hide behind mine. loser. 3 points for me.
game point....
I'm voting for the westward shift of 5th avenue.
I think they should flip the park around to face the opposite direction, just for fun.
Boy, You people are opinionated .I agree though about the park . Renovate it and leave it be .