Zuccotti Park

{{short description|Public park in Manhattan, New York}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}} {{Infobox park | name = Zuccotti Park | image = Zuccotti Park Spring 2015.JPG | image_size = 350 | image_caption = Zuccotti Park in New York City in May 2015 | type = Plaza | location = Financial District, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. | coordinates = {{coord|40.709228|-74.011247|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=inline,title|format=dms}} | area = {{convert|33000|sqft|m2}} | created = {{start date|1968}} | etymology = John Eugene Zuccotti, Brookfield Properties CEO | operator = Brookfield Properties | visitation_num = | status = Open all year }}

'''Zuccotti Park''' (formerly '''Liberty Plaza Park''') is a {{convert|33000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} publicly accessible park in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is located in a privately owned public space (POPS) controlled by Brookfield Properties<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/nyregion/zuccotti-park-is-privately-owned-but-open-to-the-public.html| title = Privately Owned Park, Open to the Public, May Make Its Own Rules| first = Lisa W. | last = Foderaro| work = The New York Times| date = November 13, 2011| access-date = September 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/plans/pops/pops.page |website=New York City Department of City Planning |title=New York City's Privately Owned Public Spaces |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116025938/https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/plans/pops/pops.page |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |access-date=December 9, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> and Goldman Sachs. Zuccotti Park is bounded by Broadway to the east, Liberty Street to the north, Trinity Place to the west, and Cedar Street to the south.

The park was created in 1968 by Pittsburgh-based United States Steel, after the property owners negotiated its creation with city officials. It was named Liberty Plaza Park because it was situated one block south of One Liberty Plaza. The park's northwest corner is across the street from Four World Trade Center. It has been popular with local tourists and financial workers.

The park was heavily damaged in the September 11 attacks and subsequent recovery efforts of 2001. The plaza was later used as the site of several events commemorating the anniversary of the attacks. After renovations in 2006, the park was renamed by its current owners, Brookfield Properties, after company chairman John Zuccotti. Starting in September 2011, the plaza became the site of the Occupy Wall Street protest camp, during which activists occupied the plaza and used it as a staging ground for their protests throughout the Financial District; this was the first protest of what became the global Occupy movement.

==History==

The site was the location of the first coffeehouse in colonial New York City, The King's Arms which opened under the ownership of Lieutenant John Hutchins in 1696. It stood on the west side of Broadway between Crown (now Liberty) Street and Little Queen (now Cedar) Street.<ref>Burrows and Wallace (1999), p.108</ref> On November 5, 1773, summoned by the Sons of Liberty, a huge crowd assembled outside the coffee house to denounce the Tea Act, and agents of the East India Trading Company who were handling cargoes of dutied tea. It was perhaps the first public demonstration in opposition to the Tea Act in the American colonies.<ref>Burrows and Wallace (1999), p.214</ref>

The park was created in 1968 or the early 1970s by Pittsburgh-based United States Steel, after the property owners negotiated its creation with city officials, in return for a height bonus for an adjacent building at the time of its construction.<ref>{{Harvnb|Dunlap|2006}} gives the date as 1968, but {{Harvnb|Wired New York|2004}} gives 1972. Other sources give similar dates: *1974: {{cite news |url=http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4476 |website=Wired New York |title=A Return Engagement for a Ground Zero Oasis |date=July 23, 2005 |author-first=Glenn |author-last=Collins |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215155914/http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4476 |archive-date=February 15, 2019 |access-date=December 8, 2019 |quote=The park was built in 1974 in a trade-off that let the developer add seven stories to 1 Liberty Plaza, the office tower across the street; the park could only be completed when a holdout, a Chock Full O' Nuts store, was razed in 1980.}} *Early 1970s: {{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1558.pdf |title=U.S. Realty Building |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |date=June 7, 1988 |author-first=Elisa |author-last=Urbanelli |editor-first=Nancy |editor-last=Goeschel |page=5 |quote=In the early 1970s, the U.S. Steel Corporation constructed a plaza, in conjunction with their new headquarters, directly to the north of the U.S. Realty Building ...}}</ref> The structure, One Liberty Plaza, replaced the demolished Singer Building and City Investing Building.<ref name="bpc" />

The park is home to a signpost for Temple Street, a "ghost street" which appeared on Manhattan maps as early as 1695, but was redeveloped out of existence by the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web | last=Dunlap | first=David W. | title=Holding Out at Zuccotti Park Is a 44-Year-Old Tradition | website=City Room | date=January 30, 2012 | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/holding-out-at-zuccotti-park-is-a-44-year-old-tradition/ | access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>

=== September 11 attacks and renovation ===

The park was one of the few open spaces with tables and seats in the Financial District. Located one block from the World Trade Center, it was covered with debris, and subsequently used as a staging area for the recovery efforts after the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.<ref name="Brookfield Press Release" /> As part of the Lower Manhattan rebuilding efforts, the park was regraded, trees were planted, and the tables and seating restored.<ref name="bpc" /> Those who were working in the Zuccotti Park staging area of the recovery efforts, along with those who were living and working South of Houston Street in the months after the 9/11 attacks, have continued to develop cancers and other illnesses, for which they can seek compensation through the [https://www.vcf.gov/ 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund]. Located near Zuccotti Park is the law firm of [https://911benefits.com/ Pitta & Baione LLP], which serves as a local office for those who were impacted by these events and are seeking legal recourse.

{{multiple image | align = left | direction = vertical | width = 275 | image1 = Zuccotti Park with christmas lights.JPG | caption1 = The park at night during the holiday season | image2 = | caption2 = Zuccotti Park is home to three sculptures, including Mark di Suvero's ''Joie de Vivre'', seen here in the background | total_width = | alt1 = }}

On June 1, 2006, the park reopened after an $8 million renovation designed by Cooper, Robertson & Partners. It was renamed Zuccotti Park in honor of John E. Zuccotti, former City Planning Commission chairman and first deputy mayor under Abe Beame and the then-chairman of Brookfield Properties,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/park-honor-ex-city-official-article-1.549788 |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |title=Park Honor for Ex-City Official |author-first=Paul D. |author-last=Colford |date=June 6, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209123014/https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/park-honor-ex-city-official-article-1.549788 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |access-date=December 9, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> which used private money to renovate the park. Currently, the park has a wide variety of trees, granite sidewalks, tables and seats, as well as lights built into the ground, which illuminate the area. With its proximity to Ground Zero, Zuccotti Park is a popular tourist destination. The World Trade Center cross, which was previously housed at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, was featured in a ceremony held in Zuccotti Park before it was moved to the 9/11 Memorial.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/wtc-cross-installed-911-memorial-museum-updated |website=9/11 Memorial & Museum |title='WTC Cross' Is Installed in 9/11 Memorial Museum (Updated) |date=July 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209124220/https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/wtc-cross-installed-911-memorial-museum-updated |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |access-date=December 9, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The park won the 2008 American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design and was featured in ''Architectural Record'' and ''International New Architecture'' magazines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cooperrobertson.com/what_we_do/projecttype/gardens_and_parks/zuccottipark.php|title=Zuccotti Park|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317122540/http://www.cooperrobertson.com/what_we_do/projecttype/gardens_and_parks/zuccottipark.php |archive-date=March 17, 2010|website=Cooper, Robertson & Partners |access-date=March 16, 2015}}</ref>

=== Occupy Wall Street === [[File:Occupy Wall Street Crowd Size 2011 Shankbone.JPG|thumb|right|275px|Beginning on September 17, 2011, Zuccotti Park was occupied by protesters during Occupy Wall Street]]

During the Occupy Wall Street movement, many protesters inhabited Zuccotti Park and spent their days and nights there, despite park rules prohibiting staying overnight. Attempts were made by the NYPD to disperse the protesters, but not until November 15, 2011, were they substantially evicted. At that time, police officers lit up the area with floodlights and began to clear out the park. Tents, tarps, and other forms of shelters were immediately removed, but protesters began to resist being driven out of the park. This led to the pepper-spraying and detainment of some protesters. After the park was reopened to the public, it was made known that protesters were still permitted to exercise their civil rights, but that this did not include sleeping and camping out at the park. Some protesters attempted to remain at the site after this, which led to continuing conflict with the police. After the complete eviction of the protesters from the park, they rallied again and attempted to take over other locations.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

==Sculptures== The park is home to two sculptures.<ref name="Brookfield Press Release" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/zuccotti_park_opens_at_66848.aspx |title=Zuccotti Park Opens at Broadway and Liberty Street |work=Lower Manhattan Development Corporation |date=June 1, 2006 |access-date=July 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061003233959/http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/zuccotti_park_opens_at_66848.aspx |archive-date=October 3, 2006|postscript=none}}; {{Cite web |url=http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/liberty_park_plaza_turns_38704.aspx |title=Liberty Plaza Park Turns Over a New Leaf |work=Lower Manhattan Development Corporation |date=July 25, 2005 |access-date=July 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928010501/http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/liberty_park_plaza_turns_38704.aspx |archive-date=September 28, 2006|postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |title=Back at His Bench Downtown, Having Survived 9/11 |first=David W. |last=Dunlap |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/01/nyregion/01cnd-park.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 1, 2006 |access-date=October 13, 2011}}</ref> ''Joie de Vivre'' by Mark di Suvero, a 70-foot-tall sculpture consisting of bright-red beams,<ref>{{cite web | title=Picture Lower Manhattan: Joie de Vivre by Mark di Suvero | website=Downtown Alliance | date=July 20, 2011 | url=https://downtownny.com/news/picture-lower-manhattan-joie-de-vivre-by-mark-di-suvero/ | access-date=June 16, 2024}}</ref> was installed in Zuccotti Park in 2006, having been moved from its previous installation in the Storm King Art Center. Benjamin Genocchio, an Australian then-New York-based art critic, commented that the sculpture suited the location, "nicely echoing the skyscrapers around it."<ref>{{cite news |title=Works of a Major Player In Macho Sculpture |first=Benjamin |last=Genocchio |author-link=Benjamin Genocchio |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/25wearts.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 23, 2006 |access-date=October 3, 2011}}</ref> The other sculpture is ''Double Check'',<ref>{{cite web | title=Double Check, by John Seward Johnson II | website=Downtown Alliance | date=March 16, 2022 | url=https://downtownny.com/organization/double-check-by-john-seward-johnson-ii/1-liberty-plaza/ | access-date=June 16, 2024}}</ref> depicting a bronze businessman sitting on a bench, by John Seward Johnson II.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Genzlinger|first=Neil|date=2020-03-12|title=J. Seward Johnson Jr., Sculptor of the Hyper-Real, Dies at 89|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/obituaries/j-seward-johnson-jr-dead.html|access-date=2024-06-16|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The park formerly had a third sculpture: ''Rose III'' by Isa Genzken, installed in 2018 at the northwest corner of the park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/isa-genzken-zuccotti-park-1350389|title=Isa Genzken's Monumental Steel Rose Rises in Zuccotti Park—Just in Time for the 10-Year Anniversary of the Financial Crisis|date=2018-09-18|author-first=Henri |author-last=Neuendorf |website=artnet News|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914151705/http://news.artnet.com/art-world/isa-genzken-zuccotti-park-1350389 |archive-date=September 14, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=December 9, 2019}}</ref>

== See also == * {{Portal-inline|New York City}} * List of privately owned public spaces in New York City * Occupation of Alcatraz * People's Park (Berkeley)

{{clear}}

==References== '''Notes''' <references> <ref name="Brookfield Press Release">{{cite press release |title=Brookfield Properties Re-Opens Lower Manhattan Park Following $8 Million Renovation |date=June 1, 2006 |url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/brookfield-properties-re-opens-lower-manhattan-park-following-8-million-renovation-tsx-bpo-597554.htm |access-date=October 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010173325/http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/brookfield-properties-re-opens-lower-manhattan-park-following-8-million-renovation-tsx-bpo-597554.htm |archive-date=October 10, 2011}}</ref> <ref name="bpc">{{cite web |url=http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4476 |website= Wired New York |date=January 21, 2004 |title=Liberty Plaza Construction to Begin This Spring |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215155914/http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4476 |archive-date=February 15, 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=December 9, 2019 |ref={{Harvid|Wired New York|2004}}}}</ref> </references>

'''Bibliography''' * {{cite gotham}}

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}

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Category:Broadway (Manhattan) Category:Brookfield Properties buildings Category:Financial District, Manhattan Category:Occupy Wall Street Category:Parks in Manhattan Category:Privately owned public spaces Category:Squares in Manhattan Category:Urban public parks