Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ZOOM
LEFT
ZOOM
RIGHT
WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK
Subway A, B, C, D, E, F to West 4th St; N, R to 8th St.
MAP
The natural centre of the Village is
Washington Square Park
. Memorialized in Henry
James's 1880 novel
Washington Square
, the city completed an extensive renovation of the
park in 2012, though only the row of elegant Greek Revival mansions on its northern edge -
the “solid, honourable dwellings” that James described - remind visitors of the area's more
illustrious past.
Today, all these buildings belong to New York University (NYU). The most imposing
monument in the park is Stanford White's
Washington Arch
, built in 1892 to commemor-
ate the centenary of George Washington's presidential inauguration.
During the spring and summer months, the square becomes a combination of a running
track, performance venue, giant chess tournament and social club; boiling over with life as
skateboards flip, dogs run and guitar notes crash through the urgent cries of performers call-
ing for the crowd's attention.
