19th Century New York Neighborhoods and Architecture in Washington Square by Aleksandar Dekic

19^th Century New York Neighborhoods and Architecture in Washington Square

The real feeling of the 19^th-century development in New York City can be seen in and around Washington square park. The necessity of having open spaces in the city starts in the 19^th century by creating Washington square park. Also, development north and west from the park creates one of the most preserved areas until these days of early New York architecture. South of the park, there is Soho neighborhood with efficient and appealing cast iron industrial buildings. All these differences make this district unique.

Washington Square Park was a graveyard for the poor people in 1811, at the time when the city was only developed south from it. It is located at the end of 5^th avenue and 8^th street. When the city bought the land around it, it creates a beautiful park with very desirable housing locations. With the construction of the Arch, the place becomes uniquely recognizable throughout the city. Today, at the same time, it is a meeting place for protestors, street performers and entertainers, overall a place where anybody can express his opinion like it was in ancient Greece.

Area north and west from the park is one of the most representative areas of New York City in 19^th-century architecture. There we can see these much taller buildings than before in several architectural styles. The use of rustication on bricks on lower levels is typical for this period, where architects of these buildings are inspired with classical revival styles, in this case, the Italian revival style. There is a lot of beautiful decorative ironwork that adorns the front of these buildings. New York Public Library was built as the Third Judicial District Court House in Victorian gothic style. All the religious buildings in the 1850s and 1860s were built in the gothic revival style. What is specific for these buildings is that the architect uses weights on top of the buttress in order to hold the wall from falling. And the size irregularity of the streets in this area, with 50feet instead of 60feet wide streets, creates small pockets of unused areas that become tiny triangle parks.

Like the city needs the parks and open spaces, it also needs entertainment. Soho becomes a red-light district with theatres and hotels. Over time that leads people to abandon this area. With the invention of elevators, industrialists saw the potential of this area and move in. They build taller industrial iron cast buildings, with tall floors and big windows. In this area, we can see a unique example of Louis Sullivan’s classic Chicago style building. He uses terra cotta material and other innovative products that allow faster construction. Also, this area is decorated with several streets in which we have beautiful facades made in different styles and by different architects.

All this area is the biggest chunk of the intact landmark zone in New York City. I am glad about that because when I walked throughout this area, it shows me the way how a city developed and how people lived in at19^th Century. I have a sense like I relive the history of this city in one walking tour which shows me several architectural styles in such a small area. It is very interesting that even in the heart of the busiest city in the world, there are still isolated zones that are totally traffic-free and noise oasis.