Fiorello La Guardia Park

What was here before?

The existing buildings on this site were demolished as part of an “urban renewal” project to make way for the Fifth Avenue South connector to a future Lower Manhattan Expressway. Conceived by Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority chairman Robert Moses (1888–1981), the Fifth Avenue South project would have driven a highway through the middle of Washington Square Park to the north.

A proposed 10-lane highway cutting through the Soho and Little Italy neighborhoods, the Lower Manhattan Expressway was another Moses project and similarly controversial for the impact it would have had on the community. Both projects were marred by logistical hurdles and strong community opposition famously led by writer and activist Jane Jacobs (1916-2006). Ultimately, neither roadway ever came to fruition

How did this site become a park?

Following the failed highway plans, the site became a public plaza under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation. In the early 1990s the Friends of La Guardia Place spearheaded landscape improvement projects, including the addition of a bronze statue of Mayor La Guardia by sculptor Neil Estern (b. 1926) that was unveiled in 1994.

Adrienne’s Garden, a play area for young children, was added in 2010. Designed by children attending summer camp at the Center for Architecture Foundation with landscape design students at Columbia University, it was dedicated to the Friends of La Guardia Place board member and project champion, Adrienne Goldberg (d. 2008). The park’s play equipment references a dragon, as suggested by one student who came across a political cartoon of La Guardia slaying a dragon.

Together with NYC Parks, the Department of Transportation, and the Open Space Oversight Organization (OSOO), New York University created an upgraded design for the park that was completed in April 2016.

Who is this park named for?

Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia (1882-1947), who was born a few blocks from this site at 177 Sullivan Street, served three consecutive terms as Mayor of New York City from 1934-1945. La Guardia ran on a progressive Fusion ticket.  His time in office was characterized by increased centralization in City government and the implementation of large public works projects, including an unparalleled growth of the city parks system. La Guardia was also the first Mayoral resident of Gracie Mansion, a far cry from the tenements of his formative years.