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Rally: Washington Square Park plan threatens trees

By Stephen Bronner | Special to amNewYork

December 21, 2007

Elizabeth Adam, a member of the activist group ECO, demonstrates outside of Washington Square Park, which is slated to undergo massive reconstruction. (Dave Sanders / December 20, 2007)

Opponents of renovations to Washington Square Park rallied under its iconic arch Thursday, saying changes to the historic space will destroy its character while making 32 old-growth trees disappear.

"I think it's such a great park as it is," said protester Cathryn Swan, of Brooklyn.

She, among many others, is dissatisfied with changes such as the reduced size of the central plaza and the new ornamental design of the fountain. Swan said smaller repairs should be done, instead of completely renovating the park, which opened in 1827 and is in the heart of Greenwich Village.

But that wasn't her biggest issue with the renovations. "The destruction of the trees, and its impact on the species, is what got me outraged."

The renovations include moving the fountain so it lines up with the arch and lowering the central plaza to street level and reducing its size, according to PlaNYC, the mayor's plan to prep the city for the future.

The $16 million redesign would also have a new playground to be built in place of the current concrete play mounds, and a new four-foot iron fence that would replace the old barriers.

The Parks Department, in a statement, said that the new central plaza would allow for more green space and access for the disabled. And rather than 32 trees being destroyed, only nine that are in "poor condition" will be cut down and replaced by 37 new ones, the statement said.

The first phase of construction will be completed by the spring of 2009.