Union Square, Manhattan

This article is about the public plaza. For the subway station underneath the square, see 14th Street–Union Square station. For other uses, see Union Square (disambiguation).

Union Square
Union Square seen from 14th Street in May 2010
Map
LocationManhattan, New York City, U.S.
Coordinates40°44′08″N 73°59′26″W / 40.73556°N 73.99056°W / 40.73556; -73.99056
Built1882 (laid out c. 1832)[2]
ArchitectFrédéric Auguste Bartholdi, et al.
NRHP reference No.97001678[1]
NYSRHP No.06101.009534
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 9, 1997[1]
Designated NHLDecember 9, 1997[3]
Designated NYSRHPDecember 9, 1997

Union Square is a historic intersection and surrounding neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, United States, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue[4] – came together in the early 19th century. Its name denotes that "here was the union of the two principal thoroughfares of the island".[5][6] The current Union Square Park is bounded by 14th Street on the south, 17th Street on the north, and Union Square West and Union Square East to the west and east respectively. 17th Street links together Broadway and Park Avenue South on the north end of the park, while Union Square East connects Park Avenue South to Fourth Avenue and the continuation of Broadway on the park's south side. The park is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

Adjacent neighborhoods are the Flatiron District to the north, Chelsea to the west, Greenwich Village to the southwest, East Village to the southeast, and Gramercy Park to the east. Many buildings of The New School are near the square,[7] as are several dormitories of New York University.[8] The eastern side of the square is dominated by the four Zeckendorf Towers, and the south side by the full-square-block mixed-use One Union Square South, which contains a wall sculpture and digital clock titled Metronome. Union Square Park also contains an assortment of art, including statues of George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, Abraham Lincoln, and Mahatma Gandhi.

Union Square is part of Manhattan Community District 5[9] and its primary ZIP Code is 10003.[10] It is patrolled by the 13th Precinct of the New York City Police Department.[11] The New York City Subway's 14th Street–Union Square station, served by the 4, ​5, ​6, <6>​, L​, N, ​Q, ​R, and ​W trains, is located under Union Square.

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "Parks for the New Metropolis (1811–1870)". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
  3. ^ "Union Square". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007.
  4. ^ Four Shortened – Manhattan's Shortest Numbered Avenue, Forgotten NY. Accessed January 16, 2018. "Among New York City's numbered avenues, 1st through 12th, 4th Avenue has always been the odd duck-- you can tell just by looking at a map. While most avenues are extraordinarily lengthy, spanning much of the island from north to south, 4th runs just six short blocks between Cooper and Union Squares; and while all of NYC's numbered avenues run parallel to the island's northward tilt (though not true north) 4th runs northwest athwart the other avenues, forming a 'V' at the Bowery at Cooper Square."
  5. ^ Jenkins, Stephen (1911). The Greatest Street in the World: The Story of Broadway, Old and New, from Bowling Green to Albany. New York: Knickerbocker Press. OCLC 794027661.
  6. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1939). New York City Guide. New York: Random House. pp. 198–203. ISBN 978-1-60354-055-1. (Reprinted by Scholarly Press, 1976; often referred to as WPA Guide to New York City.)
  7. ^ "New School: Map". The New School.
  8. ^ "NYU: Map". New York University.
  9. ^ "NYC Planning | Community Profiles". communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov. New York City Department of City Planning. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "East Village, New York City-Manhattan, New York Zip Code Boundary Map (NY)". United States Zip Code Boundary Map (USA). Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  11. ^ "NYPD – 13th Precinct". www.nyc.gov. New York City Police Department. Retrieved October 3, 2016.