Verdi Square
Verdi Square is a 0.1-acre (400 m2) park on a trapezoidal traffic island on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City.Verdi Square's irregular shape arises from Broadway's diagonal path relative to the Manhattan street grid.The western half of the park is built on the former northbound lanes of Broadway, which were closed permanently in 2003 during a renovation of the New York City Subway's adjacent 72nd Street station.Designed by Richard Dattner & Partners and Gruzen Samton, the head house contains artwork that references Verdi's opera Rigoletto.Each September, the park hosts a series of free concerts called Verdi Square Festival of the Arts.The portion of Broadway around modern-day Verdi Square opened in 1703 and was added to the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, which created Manhattan's street grid, in the late 19th century.[7][9][5] Further south, the angled course of Broadway creates convergences with other avenues at Columbus Circle and at Times, Herald, Madison, and Union Squares.[11][2] Statues of four characters from Verdi's operas are on the pedestal: Aida, Otello, Leonora of La forza del destino, and Falstaff.[18] A garden known as the Woodland was planted around the Verdi Monument;[19] it contains native species such as Lindera benzoin, Asclepias tuberosa, and Magnolia virginiana.[30][31] Though the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene cited the stand for unsanitary conditions the next year,[32] the concession remains in operation as of 2022[update].[2] In the 1760s, a neighborhood known as Harsenville was developed around Bloomingdale Road between modern-day 68th and 81st Streets, after farmer Jacob Harsen moved there with his family.[2] In 1867, city planner Andrew Haswell Green convinced the state legislature to give his Central Park Commission the power to make changes in the grid north of 59th Street.[49] The tunnel was built directly under Broadway using a cut and cover method of construction, requiring the avenue's pavement to be ripped up.[52] Meanwhile, Carlo Barsotti, the founder of Italian-language daily newspaper Il Progresso Italo-Americano, had started raising funds for a monument to Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi after the latter died in 1901.[12][59][60] Thousands of people were present at the dedication, including representatives of the Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Argentine governments.[78] Civic organization Friends of Verdi Square held free concerts at the park in October 1976 to raise money for a planned $70,000 renovation.[80] In 1983, The New York Times wrote that "a succession" of homeless men slept on the park's 73rd Street sidewalk because warm air came from the subway ventilation grate there.Kuhn asked pasta companies, attendees at a Verdi concert in Central Park, and the publicist of screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola to donate money, but he was unsuccessful.This move, which would more than double Verdi Square's size,[90] would offset the loss of park space caused by the head house's construction.[92] The new subway entrance would contain elevators directly above the platforms; as a result, Broadway's southbound lanes also had to be shifted to the west.[35] After the park's renovation was completed, local resident Lauri Grossman contacted several friends to organize an opera festival there, having been inspired by street musicians she saw during a trip to Europe.[7] The festival consists of three free outdoor Sunday afternoon concerts, presenting young musicians in repertoire ranging from opera to bluegrass.[18] Though the Times reported in 2014 that Verdi Square "has become as much a place to hang out as pass through",[101] local residents cited an increase in homeless people in the park.[30][31] Local resident Aleya Lehmann founded an organization, Friends of Verdi Square, in 2018 to clean up the park.
Traffic islandurban parkManhattanNew York CityCoordinatesNYC ParksSubway72nd StreetU.S. National Register of Historic PlacesVerdi MonumentNew York City LandmarkUpper West SideGiuseppe VerdiBroadwayAmsterdam AvenueManhattan street gridNew York City SubwayNew York City scenic landmarkNew York City Department of Parks and Recreationhead houseRigolettoCommissioners' Plan of 1811Sherman SquareCarlo BarsottiThe Panic in Needle ParkApple Bank BuildingYork and SawyerThe AnsoniaThe DoriltonColumbus CircleHeraldMadisonMuseum of the City of New YorkGiuseppe Verdi MonumentmonumentpedestalOtelloLa forza del destinoFalstafftime capsuleLindera benzoinAsclepias tuberosaMagnolia virginiana72nd Street stationIRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Linethe Crystal PalaceLondonStanford WhiteProspect ParkBrooklynLe Pain QuotidienNew York City Department of Health and Mental HygieneFiremen's MemorialRiverside Drivecloven hoovesManolo ValdésPablo PicassoHenri MatisseLower ManhattanMorningside HeightsHudson RiverFrench RevolutionLouis Philippe IAndrew Haswell GreenCentral Park59th Streetgovernment of New York CityWilliam Tecumseh Shermanfirst subway lineAugust Belmont Jr.Interborough Rapid Transit Companycut and coverIl Progresso Italo-AmericanocornerstoneColumbus DayEnrico CarusoArturo ToscaniniGeorgeIra GershwinMetropolitan OperaluminaireNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commissionscenic landmarkNew York City Board of EstimateFrancis Ford CoppolaBertolliHenry J. SternNew York City Art CommissiongreenmarketYou've Got MailNew York State LegislatureNew York City Department of TransportationAdrian BenepeAndrew LittonManhattan School of MusicThe New SchoolbluegrassMemorials to Giuseppe VerdiList of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th StreetsList of New York City scenic landmarksList of parks in New York CityNational Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th StreetsEighth Avenue/Central Park WestSeventh AvenueSixth AvenueFifth AvenuePark/Fourth AvenuesNational Register of Historic PlacesNational Park ServiceWhite, NorvalAIA Guide to New York CityJackson, Kenneth T.The Encyclopedia of New York CityYale University PressProQuestColumbia University PressNew-York Historical SocietyLincoln SquareManhattan ValleyRiverside South1 Lincoln Plaza1 Riverside Park5 West 63rd Street15 Central Park West27 West 67th Street50 West 66th Street