The History of Washington Square Park in New York City

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The history of Washington Square Park in New York City stretches back more than four centuries, from Native American settlements and colonial farmland to one of Manhattan’s most beloved public gathering places. Long before the iconic marble arch welcomed visitors into Greenwich Village, the land served as a creek, a potter’s field, a military parade ground, and eventually a park that became synonymous with art, music, protest, and New York City’s enduring spirit. Today, Washington Square Park remains one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, attracting visitors from around the world while preserving an extraordinary piece of Manhattan’s past.

When one walks under the grand archway entrance into Manhattan’s Washington Square Park, they may not be aware of the long history behind the park that will soon surround them. Unlike many of New York City’s parks that were created by Robert Moses, the history of Washington Square Park precedes Robert Moses’s work. The origins of Washington Square Park date back to when the land it now occupies was home to a natural waterway, Minetta Creek. The name sprang from Native American language, in which the word manitou defined life forces both good and bad. Some referred to the Minetta Creek as the “Devil’s Water.” The Minetta Creek has a storied history, shaped by interaction with the waterways by Native Americans, early Dutch settlers, and the British forces that eventually took over the land from the Dutch.

In the early 1600s, the land was cultivated by Native Americans until the Dutch took over, farming on both sides of Minetta Creek. When the Dutch began feuding with the Native American Indians, they offered the land to the so-called half-freed slaves. The land would become known as Land Of The Blacks. It was so called because certain members of the Black Militia, such as Domingo Anthony, Manuel Trumpeter, and Catalina Anthony, were granted land in the area. Also known as Little Africa, the land would be used by the half-freed slaves to farm and raise families on.

In 1797, the governing body in the city, known as the City’s Common Council, converted the land into a Potter’s Field. That term was used to describe an area utilized to bury the extremely poor. Over the years, there have been many accounts of public persecutions and hangings in the Potter’s Field. However, there is very little evidence for those stories in public records, with the exception of one hanging. Nonetheless, a corner of the park has often been referred to as Hangmen’s Elm.

In 1826, all the land surrounding what is now Washington Square Park was converted into a militia training ground. The area was labeled Washington Military Parade Ground. Parts of the grounds were turned into a public park in 1827. The park would soon become a meeting ground for public demonstrations and gatherings. It would also serve as an escape from the city streets, as all future New York City parks would do. One of the most interesting early gatherings occurred in 1838, when Samuel F.B. Morse gave a public demonstration of his new invention, the telegraph, in the middle of Washington Square Park.

In the 1850’s, a park commission was formed to address issues regarding Manhattan’s Central Park. In 1870, that commission was transformed into a governmental agency called the City’s Department of Public Parks. The new agency would look over all of the city’s public parks. From that point on, Washington Square Park would become one of the most important public parks in New York City. The newly formed Department of Public Parks would bring in an engineer named M.A. Kellogg and a landscape Gardner named I.A. Pilat to redesign the park. The two men installed curved paths and shaded areas to further isolate the park from the city streets. As important as it was to offer the isolation of a park from the hustle and bustle of the city streets, the park would also serve as a connection between Fifth Avenue and lower Manhattan by way of the newly built carriage drive that ran through the park.

For the past 130 years, visitors to Washington Square Park have been greeted by a magnificent marble archway at the park’s northern end. The archway was first installed as a centennial tribute to George Washington’s inauguration as the first President of the United States of America. Built as a wooden archway in 1879, the tributary gateway would be replaced a few years later by the fabulous stone archway that still stands in the 21st century. The archway was designed by Stanford White. A very similar archway had been built in Paris almost one hundred years earlier, called the Arc de Triomphe.

Washington Square Park Archway

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Arc de Triomphe in Paris

Eventually, two spectacular statues of George Washington would be attached to the North side of the Washington Square Park Archway. In 1916, the first statue of George Washington was unveiled, titled Washington as Commander-in-Chief, Accompanied by Fame and Valor. The statue was sculpted by Hermon MacNeil and carved by the Piccirilli Brothers Marble Carving Studios. It was placed on the left-hand side of the archway. The second statue was erected in 1918. It was called Washington as President, Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice. The statue was sculpted by Alexander Stirling Calder. In June of 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protest, a red-paint-filled balloon was thrown at the statue, covering the Washington sculpture in red paint.

Over the years, Washington Square Park would host many political and social protests. However, the park itself was not the target of the protests. It was merely the perfect site for people to gather and voice their opinions. One of the earliest protests in the park occurred in the wake of the tragic 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Labor unions protested in the park over devastating labor practices that they argued led to the deaths of those trapped inside the factory. During the 20th century, Washington Square Park would serve as a home base for generations of artists from the Beat Generation of the 1940s to the anti-war Vietnam Era protesters of the 1960s and the folk music movement led by Bob Dylan. The park’s center ring and fountain, surrounded by a few rows deep of concrete seating, also served as the perfect arena for public performance. So many were held that the city government began requiring performers to apply for permits to perform in any of New York City’s public parks.

The beauty of Washington Square Park and the towering city buildings that surround it define a scenery that no Hollywood movie set could ever build. For that reason, the park has been a center of attraction for Hollywood filmmakers for years. Below are a few scenes from such major motion pictures filmed in Washington Square Park.

Barefoot In The Park (1967) -Scene featuring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in Washington Square Park

I Am Legend (2007) – Zombies running through Washington Square Park

Depending on what time of day one visits Washington Square Park, the historic park can be filled with thousands of people of all generations and cultures. There is truly still that beatnik sense that infiltrates the park. Additionally, there is a population of homeless people that call the park their home. Located in Greenwich Village, the park is also host to many of New York University’s diverse students. There is also a beautiful residential area that surrounds part of the park.

New York City stands as one of the most historic cities in the United States. If you ever get a chance to visit NYC or live in NY and have never been to Washington Square Park, I highly recommend you take a visit to an a

Photo: Isabella Ruffalo-Burgat / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Updated June 30, 2026.

Continue exploring New York City’s remarkable public spaces and historic neighborhoods with our articles on Central Park, Bryant Park, and discover hundreds of stories celebrating the people, places, and landmarks that shaped New York’s history.

Sources

Jackson, Kenneth T. The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: 1995 Yale University Press.