1871 Spangenberg Map of Washington Square Park, New York

This is the first published map of Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, New York. The map was issued during the 1871 conversion of the square from a military parade ground to a public park.

Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park is situated in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. The square has a long history as a public place. During the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783), when the park was still beyond the city's limits, it was used as a soldier's cemetery. During the Cholera Epidemic of 1798, it became a mass grave. To this day, more than 20,000 remains are buried underneath Washington Square Park. Nonetheless, by the 1820s, it had been converted into a military parade ground, with Common Council legislation guaranteeing it would not be lotted and would remain an open green space. After the American Civil War (1861 - 1865), the need for a volunteer militia training ground diminished, and plans were made to turn the square into a recreational park. These manifested in 1871, when the square was renovated, and the park took on its current configuration, with winding pathways. Around this time, the New York Park Department began using the park for organized outdoor concerts and theatrical productions - setting the stage for its modern reputation as a haven for the arts. The famous Washington Square Arch, designed by Stanford White, was added in 1891.

Publication History

This plan was created by Charles L. Spangenberg for the First Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Department of Public Parks for the Year Ending May 1, 1871.