Greenwich Village and The Washington Square Arch

By Cindy Lozito and Darren Panicali

Overview:

Exploring the Architecture and Its History in:- Greenwich Village- Washington Square Park- The Washington Square Arch

Greenwich Village History

Washington Square Park

Square’s History• Previously a marsh with a brook running through• Converted to a “Potter’s Field,” or common burial

ground, in 1797• A gallows was allegedly once located there• Converted to a parade ground in 1826• Established as a public park in 1827• Now includes dog runs, chess tables, playgrounds,

gardens, and plenty of trees• Currently under renovation; over $3 million have

gone into this in the past few years

Original Design vs. Current Layout

From Driving Passageway to Pedestrians’ Paradise, 1971

(Thanks to Square Re-designer Robert Nichols)

Some Park Architecture: The Washington Square Fountain

• Aesthetic centerpiece first established in 1872• Renovated several times

like the arch• Used be closer to the

southern end of the park• Now aligned with the arch closer to the north

as a wading pool-style fountain

Some Park Architecture: Giuseppe Garibaldi Statue

• Italian hero• Exiled from Italy• Lead insurrections in the

name of Italian unity/freedom• He draws his sword

as if still fighting today

Some Park Architecture: Alexander Holley Statue

• Inventor of the Bessemer process of making steel

• Revolutionized steel-usingindustries in America

• Stone base uses Greek details

And Finally:The Washington Square Arch

Historical Context of the Arch• Finished and celebrated on April 30, 1889, in

honor of the centennial of Washington’s inauguration and erected as a permanent memorial to him.

• Originally made of wood and stucco but redone in marble in 1891

• Architects: Charles McKim, William Mead, and Stanford White. (They were also famous in helping to design Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, the Municipal Building, the Harvard Club, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among many other buildings.)

Historical Context of the Arch (cont’d)• Skeletal remains found during excavation for the

piers; hinted at burial grounds• With the transition of driving to walking under

the arch, it became a welcoming symbol for people, inviting leisurely walking and marveling at the arch’s sheer grandeur.

• Original arch was 77 feet tall, but marble version stands at 72 ½ feet.

• Eroded by time, weather, corrosion, and animals, so in 2004, it was renovated for $2.7 million.

• Inscription at top reads: “Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God. — Washington”

Original Arch vs. Current Arch

Influence of the Beaux-ArtsArc de Triumphe from Paris

Beaux-arts is a form of eclectic neo-classicism that displays the following:Enormous size Immense ArchwaysStone material SymmetryLavish relief decorations Extraordinary detail with classical

influencesNaturalism in sculpture

Bas Relief

• Insignias and other designs are etched into the stone but don’t jut off of it

Coffered Ceiling

• Decorated, amazingly symmetrical squares worked into the stone

Console bracket keystones

• Scroll-shaped (“console”)

• Located at apex of arch as a keystone

• Keeps parts in position as a bracket

Frieze: Alternating Wreaths

• Frieze – Wall, often decorated, above columns/piers

• Patterned with wreaths; every other has a star inside

• Wreaths connected by olive branches and W’s

Washington’s Likenesses

• Displays dualism of Washington, as a man of both war and peace, whichever is appropriate; he always knew which one was.

• Invokes realist influences

Washington as President, Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice by Alexander Stirling Calder.Erected in 1918.

Washington as Commander-in-Chief, Accompanied by Fame and Valor by Hermon MacNeil. Erected in 1916.

Bibliography forInformation and Images

THE END.