A lovely 1922 photo of the southeast corner of Union Square Park looking north. Check out the guy getting his shoes shined. The “wireless” store later became the famous S. Klein department store and is now Zeckendorf Towers.
The Union Square Partnership has proposed a wide-ranging collection of enhancement to remake Union Square Park, expanding its edges into the surrounding streets to make it a much bigger and more attractive pedestrian-oriented area. Click through the links in their letter below to see much more.
They write:
The Union Square Partnership is proud to announce the release of the Union Square-14th Street District Vision Plan: a bold new vision for transforming Union Square-14th Street into New York’s most accessible space.
The Wall Street Journal ran an exclusive today showcasing the Vision Plan, stating “…the plan’s ultimate goal is for parkgoers to know they have ‘arrived at a place that is special.'” Read the full article here.
Building upon USP’s past investments, including the renovation of Union Square Park’s north end, City initiatives like Parks Without Borders, the 14th Street Busway, and the pedestrianization of Broadway, along with the more than one million square feet of new private development underway, our Vision Plan focuses on five key improvements prioritizing accessibility, district-wide connectivity, and substantial increases in public open space.
Designed in collaboration with Marvel, the Vision Plan is the culmination of a two-year-long engagement process working with community members, local business leaders, urban designers, transportation experts, and City and State agency partners. With over a thousand individuals engaged at twenty separate engagement events, it was the largest outreach effort in the Partnership’s 45-year history.
We are sure you will have questions and feedback about the Vision Plan and there will be many opportunities to learn more. The first is our official Vision Plan: Launch Event hosted in collaboration with the Urban Design Forum on Tuesday, January 26th at 12:00 PM. Please RSVP here.
Next, we will be hosting a series of Vision Plan: Community Conversations via Zoom to facilitate more robust discussions and gather feedback. Dates + times will be announced soon but you can express interest in attending a session here.
To familiarize yourselves with the plan, we have launched a dedicated web page with a robust amount of detailed information about the Union Square-14th Street District Vision Plan. Click on the link below to download and read the full report, our info sheet, and press release, as well as view the annotated renderings. There is also an FAQ, which hopefully will address most of your initial questions. You can explore more via unionsquarenyc.org/vision.
We look forward to fostering dialogue in the coming months that will guide our investments and set future priorities. It is my hope that as you review the Vision Plan that you will feel the impact of our collaborative community process and continue to share feedback as we move forward to the next stage.
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This 1911 photo looks east across 5th Avenue to the current site of the New School, with an additional glimpse down 13th St. You can clearly see the “press” building that is now the apartments across from our front door.
This wonderful interactive map lets you explore the history of most of the buildings in our neighborhood.
COVID strikes again. No holiday market this year. You’ll have to travel up to Bryant Park to pick up your scented candles and knitted mittens.
The good ol’ days at the northern end of Union Square, date unknown. Note the curved facade of the building that more recently was home to the Kellogg’s Cafe.
It was huge hit when it arrived a year ago, but it looks like the Nutella Cafe has become another victim of COVID.
Our building (c. 1940)
