Washington Square Park, R.I.P.

All I can say is thank God this much needed renovation is finally coming to pass! WSP has been a blighted space far many years now and unusable for me any many of my friends (who live in the village by the way!) Finally, we can get rid of the "asphalt dung heaps" many referred to as "hills", not to mention the oceans of tar and cement and replace them with green. And, while they're at it, can we finally push some of the dealers out? I don't want to be solicited for drugs anymore, the 70's are over people, it's time to embrace the change!

There would be nothing wrong with a repaving of the asphalt and possibly even making some improvements to regrade parts of the park. And if they must get rid of the mounds, that's not much of big deal either. But Washington Square Park is one of the most treasured places in the world, not just the city. It's certainly my favorite place in the city, and I've never met anyone who doesn't love it the way it is or who thinks it should be changed to the extent that is being proposed/done. The Park that will result from this "renovation" will be very different from the WSP people have loved for years and years.

Thankfully, the Parks Dept original plan to install gates and lock the park at midnight was jetisoned due to protest. But there will still be a significant loss of space, loss of trees, and loss of access.

I just went to the park last night, and what is especially disturbing is that the extent area in the park that is now closed off is about 75 percent, which seems to be illegal, since the judge in the opinion siding with the Parks Dept said that the decision was based upon Parks Dept assurances that the renovation will not prevent tradtional uses of the majority of the park.

Hopefully someone will file a lawsuit.

As a third generation New Yorker, all I can say is that, I miss New York.

There would be nothing wrong with a repaving of the asphalt and possibly even making some improvements to regrade parts of the park. And if they must get rid of the mounds, that's not much of big deal either. But Washington Square Park is one of the most treasured places in the world, not just the city. It's certainly my favorite place in the city, and I've never met anyone who doesn't love it the way it is or who thinks it should be changed to the extent that is being proposed/done. The Park that will result from this "renovation" will be very different from the WSP people have loved for years and years.

Thankfully, the Parks Dept original plan to install gates and lock the park at midnight was jetisoned due to protest. But there will still be a significant loss of space, loss of trees, and loss of access.

I just went to the park last night, and what is especially disturbing is that the extent area in the park that is now closed off is about 75 percent, which seems to be illegal, since the judge in the opinion siding with the Parks Dept said that the decision was based upon Parks Dept assurances that the renovation will not prevent tradtional uses of the majority of the park.

Hopefully someone will file a lawsuit.

As a third generation New Yorker, all I can say is that, I miss New York.

Hell - we should just revert NYC back to 1975.

w00t! $6,000 brownstones!!

Nobody goes to WSP anymore - it's too crowded. A few years of snow fences and Tomcats should fix that!

I have to say it's a great park, but the concrete humps are useless & take up a busload of space. It'll be interesting to see what happens I suppose. ..

This disgusts me to the max. The death of New York is fast and painful. I don't understand how people can actually think this is an improvement and worth any kind of money. I miss new york.

You people are nuts. All the asphalt and concrete humps in WSP are a result of seriously half-assed renovation efforts from the 60's or 70's. Nothing says relaxing day in the park like Brutalist landscaping!

Seriously, you guys sound like people who didn't want the crackheads thrown out of Tompkins Square Park.

I know, lets charge tolls per person when they enter on the east or west sides and call it park congestion pricing. That will keep people out because we really don't want them in the park or manhattan at all for that matter. Maybe we could put cameras around the park and even charge extra if they are in the park at certain various busier times of the day. Then maybe let the MTA raise those rates after a month of public discussion that we really wont listen to because as we all know the MTA would never go into the park anyway just like the board members never ride the trains or use the bridges or tunnels without their drivers anyway. Then maybe we could do some alternate side of the park-bench seating for the sidewalk sweepers and heavily fine people of they are on the wrong side even though the sidewalk sweepers will only come in the park maybe once a month and when they do they will strew trash out of the hole in their bags as they walk along. yeah, lets do that. Think of what money it will bring in to line the pockets of the current Tammany Hall people we have in office now. NYC stinks more and more every day. Why have we let it get to this point. Vote people. Vote the idiots out of office NOW.

I hate when they cut down the trees. I almost cried when the trees were torn down for the new Yankee Stadium. One day, they were there... the next... :(

No more dirt! Lay down more grass or more concrete and asphalt. I can't stand seeing people rolling around in the dirt/grass around the park! It is SO dirty and unsanitary. They probably just get up, go back to their dorm, and then lay on their beds ... with their shoes on of course. Lay down more concrete and asphalt or else maintain the grass every so often. But no more benches because too many homeless people will start sleeping there and it will end up like Madison Sq Park.

They are cutting down 32 trees in the process. That is pretty bad.

There’s no doubt that both Washington Square and Manhattanville need some reform and renovation, but in both cases it’s a question of maintaining the integrity of the neighborhood. If an inaccessible, ornamental fountain and a smaller gathering center is the plan, then its clear City Planning has no clue.

Only someone who doesn't like downtown and the Village would think WSP would need any kind of change, and those people should do what they do best, take their scared asses and stay away.

Clean-up is one thing. A fullblown renovation (at taxpayer expense) that will only make it look less threatening to the tourists and newly-arrived suburbanites (not to mention anxious parents of prosepective NYUers) is totally unnecesary, and only succeeds in making the city more reflective of its mayor, who likes things corporate clean and soulless, as you would expect from someone who has spent so little time on its streets.

I am tired of seeing my tax dollars spent to make the tourists happy, at the expense of what I would like to see done to my home town. Far be it from me to give any kind of props to his predecessor, but someone should tell Mike Bloomberg that things were doing pretty well in this town before he came in... so does he have to change each and every fucking thing???!!

City Hall does what it wants to do and while they pretend to listen to the "people," they really don't. Today Columbia and WSP were voted on, and the 'people' lose. However, both WSP and the area that Columbia wants to build in... well, both areas need a major rehaul and some revitalization.

The Park needs some redesign in areas. While people live in that area of Harlem, most of the major businesses and manufactures are gone. But many people, some living for more years than I've been in NY (like generations), are gonna get the short end of the stick. (And please, save me the "if you can't afford to live here crap"...)

Anyhow, all around, it's a conundrum. But don't worry, City Hall will tell you what we'll do.

Are these people delusional? WSP is a total shithole that's been needing a comprehensive demoltion for the last 20 years. Maybe some people prefer the park with a zillion rats, broken ugly pavement, a semi-functional fountain, and lots of asphalt instead of grass....if so, maybe we can relocate them to Newark.

I think this time the protesters protest too much. WSP is overdue for an overhaul and that starts with booting the druggies out, AGAIN....

www.forgotten-ny.com

What change could be so urgent that it's preferable to have no park at all for a long construction period? Certainly not the debatable cosmetic "improvement" they're talking about.

This is lame. The park is perfectly fine as it is, and this represents a complete waste of time and money.

Cleaning up is all well and good, but the changes pointed out in the letter (raising the central plaza to street level, changing the fountain) certainly don't seem necessary in order for that to happen.

i hope all the people protesting tonight carry on with their rage once the park is done (and actually nice) by never going in it again. then the rest of everyone who would like to see it fixed up a bit can enjoy it all the more.

no matter what they do to WSP, there will always be like 55,000 dead bodies buried under there or whatever the number is.

this is shitty though. new york is dead.

"The park now is a shithole overrun by rats and wannabe drug dealers selling oregano."

Sounds like Times Square back in the day, and now we all know how awesome that turned out post "clean up".

Can we expect another "Museum Park"? Like parts of City Hall Park and Madison Square Park - where large parcels of grass are gated off - you can look but don't dare touch and/or sit.

Is that what downtown needs in light of the population growth owing to all the residential towers being built - less park space?

Why the hell would you want to prevent them from cleaning up the park? To keep "The Mounds" - giant lumps of concrete? About one third of the park space now is actually usable. God forbid the City actually wants to try to make it into a park people want to use. Why knee jerk resist any change at all? That we should never ever ever ever think about improving it? Hell - we should just revert NYC back to 1975. I understand the cause of conservation, but the plans here seem to be of general improvement. The park now is a shithole overrun by rats and wannabe drug dealers selling oregano. Maybe they'll have a memorial ceremony tonight.

Why the hell would you change Washington Square? Was there a large contingent of citizens who actually wanted this?

The HORROR!! Too much change is no good.