Landscape Information
Shaped by the diagonal route of Greenwich Avenue across Manhattan's grid and bounded by 8th Avenue and Horatio Street, the 1/4-acre park was built on land acquired by the city for a park in 1826. By May of 1872 the park experienced improvements including sidewalks, iron railing, and six new lampposts. Spurred by citywide efforts in 1887 to improve public access to parks, Superintendent of Planting Samuel Parsons, Jr. collaborated with Calvert Vaux on a new design for the square which likely incorporated colorful seasonal plantings and deciduous trees. A school garden was planted in 1913 and maintained by the local community. In the 1930s seventeen pin oaks were planted on the edge of the park, a new wading pool installed, and benches replaced. The park remained substantially unchanged until a reconstruction project was completed in 1990 when new perennial plantings, shrubs and trees were installed, historic iron fencing restored and Victorian-inspired furnishings such as benches, lightpoles and trash cans were introduced. A new cast-iron fountain in the center of the park also alludes to its 19th-century origins. The park is maintained by the Jackson Square Alliance in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
