Vietnam Veterans Plaza

Last updated

Vietnam Veterans Plaza
United States
NYC Vietnam Memorial.jpg
For New York City veterans of the Vietnam War
EstablishedMay 4, 1985 (1985-05-04)
Location 40°42′09″N74°00′35″W / 40.7025°N 74.009722°W / 40.7025; -74.009722
Designed byPeter Wormser, William Fellows, and Joseph Ferrandino
TVA Memorial Day Ceremony at Vietnam Memorial TVA Memorial Day Ceremony (14078933927).jpg
TVA Memorial Day Ceremony at Vietnam Memorial
TVA Memorial Day Ceremony at Vietnam Memorial TVA Memorial Day Ceremony (14285671683).jpg
TVA Memorial Day Ceremony at Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Plaza is an American memorial plaza in Manhattan, New York. It honors New York City citizens who served during the 20th-century Vietnam War.

Contents

Description and history

Located in the Financial District in Lower Manhattan, it lies on a trapezoidal parcel of land that was formerly a roadway named Coenties Slip. The slip road was used from the 17th century by Dutch sailors between journeys. [1] [2] [3] The slip was filled in 1835, and it then became Jeannette Park in 1884, dedicated to the ill-fated Jeannette of the Jeannette expedition. [4] Horticulturist Samuel Parsons was responsible for laying out the garden in 1886.

By the mid-20th century, city planner Robert Moses had rebuilt the park with "horseshoe pitches and tennis, paddleball, handball, and shuffleboard courts all arranged around a tear-shaped asphalt plaza with a flagpole". [5] As part of the construction of the neighboring 55 Water Street, Paul Friedberg was commissioned to redesign the land in 1971, to which he added the amphitheater fountain. [5] Initially, 55 Water Street's owners were responsible for maintaining the park, which was paved in brick similar to the Elevated Acre plaza next to the building. [6]

In 1982, plans were unveiled to redevelop Jeannette Park into a memorial for veterans of the Vietnam War. [6] The architects Peter Wormser and William Fellows and the writer Joseph Ferrandino won a competition to design it. [5] The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission raised private donations of $2.5 million ($1 million from Donald Trump, who served as co-chairman of the commission) to finance the memorial in 1983. [7] [8] The park was officially renamed Vietnam Veterans Plaza on July 20, 1983. [9] The next year, it was announced that the plaza would contain a memorial wall, similar to that at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial but made of glass blocks. [10] [11] It was dedicated on May 6, 1985, by then-mayor Edward I. Koch to honor the 1,741 citizens of the city who died during the Vietnam War and the 250,000 men and women who served between 1964 and 1975. [12]

Mayor Rudy Giuliani rededicated the plaza on November 9, 2001, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, as it underwent a $7 million restoration. [5] [13] A new ceremonial entrance was added providing access from Water Street to South Street and a black granite fountain placed at the center. The "Walk of Honor" contains 12 polished granite pylons with the names of all 1,741 people who died. [5]

In the future, the park may be the site of an entrance to a Second Avenue Subway station under Hanover Square. [4]

See also

Footnotes

  1. White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (May 11, 2010). AIA Guide to New York City. Oxford University Press. p. 27. ISBN   978-0-19-977291-9.
  2. Rémillard, François (May 1, 2000). New York City: 2000–2001. Ulysses. p. 140. ISBN   978-2-89464-236-8.
  3. Cohen, Steven (1997). New York. Nelles Verlag. p. 48. ISBN   978-3-88618-903-8.
  4. 1 2 Second Avenue Subway in the Borough of Manhattan, New York County: Environmental Impact Statement. 2004. p. 146.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Vietnam Veterans Plaza". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation . Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Downtown Site Chosen for a Vietnam Memorial". The New York Times. September 17, 1982. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  7. Geist, William E. (April 8, 1984). "The Expanding Empire of Donald Trump". New York Times . Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  8. Santucci, John (July 20, 2015). "Leader of New York Veterans Group Defends Donald Trump". ABC News . Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  9. Johnston, Laurie; Anderson, Susan Heller (July 21, 1983). "New York Day by Day; Park Renamed to Honor Vietnam Veterans". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  10. Dunlap, David W. (May 30, 1984). "Wall to Honor City's Veterans of Vietnam". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  11. Lescaze, Lee (June 26, 1984). "Vietnam: New York City Remembers". Wall Street Journal. p. 1. ISSN   0099-9660. ProQuest   397961566.
  12. Gross, Jane (May 7, 1985). "New York Pays Homage to Vietnam Veterans". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  13. Collins, Glenn (November 10, 2001). "Fresh Pain at Plaza Downtown; Refurbished Vietnam Memorial Is Dedicated, 11/9/01". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 22, 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside Park (Manhattan)</span> Public park in New York City

Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park in the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The park measures 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 100 to 500 feet wide, running between the Hudson River and Henry Hudson Parkway to the west and the serpentine Riverside Drive to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan Bridge</span> Bridge in New York City

The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. Designed by Leon Moisseiff and built by the Phoenix Bridge Company, the bridge has a total length of 6,855 ft (2,089 m). It is one of four toll-free vehicular bridges connecting Manhattan Island to Long Island; the nearby Brooklyn Bridge is just slightly farther west, while the Queensboro and Williamsburg bridges are to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Hall</span> Memorial in Manhattan, New York

Federal Hall is a memorial and historic site at 26 Wall Street in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. The current Greek Revival–style building, completed in 1842 as the Custom House, is owned by the United States federal government and operated by the National Park Service as a national memorial called the Federal Hall National Memorial. The memorial is named for an earlier Federal style building on this same site, completed in 1703 as City Hall, which the government of the newly independent United States used as its capital building and called Federal Hall during the 1780s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixth Avenue</span> North-south avenue in Manhattan, New York

Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown". It is commercial for much of its length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Hotel</span> Hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Plaza Hotel is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, and is between 58th Street and Central Park South, at the southeastern corner of Central Park. Its primary address is 768 Fifth Avenue, though the residential entrance is One Central Park South. Since 2018, the hotel has been owned by the Qatari firm Katara Hospitality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Circle</span> Traffic circle in Manhattan, New York

Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South, and Central Park West, at the southwest corner of Central Park. The circle is the point from which official highway distances from New York City are measured, as well as the center of the 25 miles (40 km) restricted-travel area for C-2 visa holders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump International Hotel and Tower (New York City)</span> Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Trump International Hotel and Tower, originally the Gulf and Western Building, is a high-rise building at 15 Columbus Circle and 1 Central Park West on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. It was originally designed by Thomas E. Stanley as an office building and completed in 1970 as the headquarters of Gulf and Western Industries. In the mid-1990s, a joint venture composed of the General Electric Pension Fund, Galbreath Company, and developer Donald Trump renovated the building into a hotel and residential tower. The renovation was designed by Philip Johnson and Costas Kondylis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham Square</span> Square in Manhattan, New York

Chatham Square is a major intersection in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City. The square lies at the confluence of eight streets: the Bowery, Doyers Street, East Broadway, St. James Place, Mott Street, Oliver Street, Worth Street and Park Row. The small park in the center of the square is known as Kimlau Square and Lin Ze Xu Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan Municipal Building</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building is a 40-story, 580-foot (180 m) building at 1 Centre Street, east of Chambers Street, in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The structure was built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of the city's five boroughs. Construction began in 1909 and continued through 1914 at a total cost of $12 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifth Avenue–59th Street station</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The Fifth Avenue–59th Street station is a station on the BMT Broadway Line of the New York City Subway. Located under Grand Army Plaza near the intersection of 5th Avenue and 60th Street in Manhattan, it is served by the N train at all times, the W train on weekdays during the day, and the R train at all times except late nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station is an underground New York City Subway station complex, consisting of stations on the IRT Flushing Line and IND Sixth Avenue Line. Located at 42nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, it is served by the 7, D and F trains at all times, the B and M trains on weekdays, and the <7> and <F> trains during rush hours in the peak direction. A free passageway from the IND platforms to the Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal station, served by the 1, ​2, ​3​, 7, <7>​​, ​A​, ​C​, ​E​, N, ​Q, ​R, ​W​, and S trains is open during the day from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">59th Street (Manhattan)</span> West-east street in Manhattan, New York

59th Street is a crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from York Avenue and Sutton Place on the East Side of Manhattan to the West Side Highway on the West Side. The three-block portion between Columbus Circle and Grand Army Plaza is known as Central Park South, since it forms the southern border of Central Park. There is a gap in the street between Ninth Avenue/Columbus Avenue and Columbus Circle, where the Deutsche Bank Center is located. While Central Park South is a bidirectional street, most of 59th Street carries one-way traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verdi Square</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

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. Named for Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, the park is bounded by 72nd Street on the south, 73rd Street on the north, Broadway on the west, and Amsterdam Avenue on the east. 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. Verdi Square is designated as a New York City scenic landmark and is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Motors Building (Manhattan)</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The General Motors Building is a 50-story, 705 ft (215 m) office tower at 767 Fifth Avenue at Grand Army Plaza on the southeast corner of Central Park, in Manhattan, New York City. The building occupies an entire city block between Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, 59th Street, and 58th Street on the site of the former Savoy-Plaza Hotel. It was designed in the International Style by Edward Durell Stone & Associates with Emery Roth & Sons and completed in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">55 Water Street</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

55 Water Street is a 687-foot-tall (209 m) skyscraper on the East River in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 53-story, 3.5-million-square-foot (325,000 m2) structure was completed in 1972. Designed by Emery Roth and Sons, the building was developed by the Uris brothers. At the time of completion, it was the world's largest privately owned office building by floor area. 55 Water Street is built on a superblock bounded by Coenties Slip to the southwest, Water Street to the northwest, Old Slip to the northeast, and South Street and FDR Drive to the southeast. It is owned by the pension fund Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Verdi Monument</span> Sculpture in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

The Giuseppe Verdi Monument is a sculpture honoring composer Giuseppe Verdi in Verdi Square Park in Manhattan, New York City. The statue was created by Italian sculptor Pasquale Civiletti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal</span> Ferry terminal in Manhattan, New York

The Whitehall Terminal is a ferry terminal in the South Ferry section of Lower Manhattan, New York City, at the corner of South Street and Whitehall Street. It is used by the Staten Island Ferry, which connects the island boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island. The Whitehall Terminal is one of the ferry's two terminals, the other being St. George Terminal on Staten Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Battery (Manhattan)</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a 25-acre (10 ha) public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. It is bounded by Battery Place on the north, with Bowling Green to the northeast, State Street on the east, New York Harbor to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. The park contains attractions such as an early 19th-century fort named Castle Clinton; multiple monuments; and the SeaGlass Carousel. The surrounding area, known as South Ferry, contains multiple ferry terminals, including the Staten Island Ferry's Whitehall Terminal; a boat launch to the Statue of Liberty National Monument ; and a boat launch to Governors Island.

<i>William Tecumseh Sherman</i> (Saint-Gaudens) Sculpture group in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

William Tecumseh Sherman, also known as the Sherman Memorial or Sherman Monument, is a sculpture group honoring William Tecumseh Sherman, created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and located at Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan, New York. Cast in 1902 and dedicated on May 30, 1903, the gilded-bronze monument consists of an equestrian statue of Sherman and an accompanying statue, Victory, an allegorical female figure of the Greek goddess Nike. The statues are set on a Stony Creek granite pedestal designed by the architect Charles Follen McKim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">500 Park Avenue</span> Mixed-use building in Manhattan, New York

500 Park Avenue is an office and residential condominium building on the southwest corner of Park Avenue and 59th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, composed of the 11-story Pepsi-Cola Building and the 40-story 500 Park Tower. The original Pepsi-Cola Building along Park Avenue was constructed from 1958 to 1960 and designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM). The tower along 59th Street was constructed between 1981 and 1984 to designs by James Stewart Polshek & Partners.