Washington Square Park

Greenwich Village

New York City

Art & Culture | History

Iconic Greenspace Considered the Heart of Greenwich Village

washington square park trees greenwich village

Washington Square Park Chess greenwich village tables

washington square park arch greenwich village sights

Washington Square Park Chess tables greenwich village

About Washington Square Park

& why it made the Carpe City list

Washington Square Park is one of New York’s most iconic, beloved, and popular green spaces, particularly well known as a gathering space for generations of artists, poets, and musicians.
- Some famous parkgoers include Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Eugene O’Neil, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Jackson Pollack, Marcel Duchamp, and Alan Ginsburg.
The area was originally marsh-land with a creek the Lenape Tribe named Minetta. Then, duringthe Dutch period, the area was farmland reserved for free black citizens.
In 1797, the New York Common Council acquired the land for a public burial ground. Today, there are more than 20,000 dead bodies buried.
As a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the city made the area a military parade ground and named it after George Washington.
Washington Square was officially made a park in 1870 by New York senator Boss Tweed. Today, the park features an arch commemorating Washinton’s inauguration and is home to the oldest tree in Manhattan.
The park is featured in many films, including 1995’s Kids, Addicted to Love, A Perfect Murder, When Harry Met Sally, Barefoot in the Park, Inside Llewyn Davis, and August Rush.

Carpe City Trivia

There used to be a Parks Department office inside the arch!

The arch’s attic space was once Parks Department Office, and features a skylight and Guastavino tiles, the interlocking terra-cotta tile system also seen at Grand Central.