Why visit
Washington Square Park occupies nearly ten acres at the foot of Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village. Before becoming a military parade ground and then a public park, the land included a potter's field. Its present formal axis links the monumental Washington Arch with the circular fountain at the center.
What to see
Stanford White designed the permanent marble arch, completed in 1892 to commemorate the centennial of George Washington's inauguration. Paths radiate through lawns, gardens, play areas and dog runs, while chess tables in the southwest corner and the broad fountain plaza support distinctive communities within the same compact square.
Plan your visit
New York University buildings frame much of the park, but the space remains municipally managed and publicly contested. Musicians, dancers, chess players, students, neighborhood residents and political gatherings continually remake its atmosphere, giving the carefully ordered landscape an unusually strong identity as an informal outdoor stage.
