The Union Square’s Construction, its General Value and Its Uses Today
Land Mark in the US
An introduction stating the general value of important landmarks to New Yorkers and visitors, and a thesis about the specific success of the Landmark you selected.
History shows that the odds of there being a significant general value of important landmarks to both visitors and New Yorkers are quite substantial. According to Wood (2013), he explains that a landmark is a natural or artificial structure that is exceptional to the existing landscape. Most notably, Landmarks as of their pure existence structure the environments, and New York is no exception. Opler (2002), utilizing various historical frameworks, explicitly illustrates that landmarks for visitors and New Yorkers forms most often than not form cognitive anchors as well as reference points for orientation and wayfinding. In a nutshell, important landmarks are a source of pride; it promotes the socio-cultural aspects of the New Yorkers and visitors as well as the fact that it stimulates the economy of New Yorkers as of the revenues they receive.
While many people are quite skeptical about the specific success of the Union Square landmark, Union Square has been successful in stimulating a clean-up at the park, promoting entertainment (center for entertainment), activism, and commerce, not to mention being a fundamental location both for public meetings and festivities.
A section describing the construction of the Landmark you selected.
Union
The construction of the Union Square date back to the year 1807 when the Common council (New York council) ordered some commissioners to lay a grid system above Houston Street (National Historic Landmarks Program). When the grid was all laid, the city commissioners discovered a potter’s field more specifically at the intersection of both the Bloomingdale Road and Bowery Road, and they decided to name this field or rather the area surrounded by the grid as the Union Place. It was later named as a public park in 1833 and further redesigned in 1839. Notably, in 1928 the Union Square Park was brought down to pave the way for subway constructions. However, Union Square suffered enormously as a result of the Great Depression (20th Century) as many businesses that were previously at Union Square moved uptown. Unsurprisingly, however, this did not last long as plans to revitalize the area began soon after 1970. The city ordered a rezone of the area to allow for large buildings to be built, and towers such as Zeckendorf were built. Given the huge renovations that were made to the Union Area Park, it was in 1997 declared as an official National Historic Landmark as a result of its staging huge gatherings.
A section describing how that Landmark is used today–be sure to discuss how it is used by both New Yorkers and visitors.
Since its inception in 1997, the Landmark has been used by both the New Yorkers in various ways. According to Merwood-Salisbury (2009), he points out that the Union Square Landmark for the past three decades has been used for entertainment, business, and activism. Most notably, Union Square is home to big mansions, hotels, and banks, and it is for these reasons therefore that it has, for a long time, been the best place for entertainment and business. Besides the most street Chess players moved from Washington Square Park to Union Square Mark, which promoted entertainment levels for the New Yorkers more. It is interesting to learn that many visitors come to Union Square for business activities and also to take a look at the much-hyped Union Square. Further, owing to its large space, most political leaders in New York and from outside Union hold political and religious factions here. The Union square is famously known for labor rights demonstrations, and in 1882, for example, the first labor day demonstrations were held there, and many New Yorkers flocked this place in a bid to fight for rights. In general, the Union Square has always been a predetermined location both for demonstrations and rallies such as the 1861 patriotic celebration, which has been the largest to date. Besides alive with lots of visitors to its Greenmarket and, more importantly, the millions of people using the 14th street the Union Square not only acts as a destination center for both New Yorkers and Visitors but also a thoroughfare.
Photos demonstrating the evolution, or rather the transformation of Union Square over the years exist, and they are as follows;
The above picture describes how Union Square looked back in 1938. The picture portrays how the Land Mark was organized as of 1938.
The above picture depicts how Union Square had started as a park in 1933 before undergoing a redevelopment process, which later saw the buildings around the park being designated as landmarks.
The picture gives a clear picture of how Union Square has reemerged from the old days. This new look illustrates the many reasons as to why it attracts many visitors and tourists.
The above picture showcases how Union Square was like in 1800. From the picture, the Landmark was used to host a number of games and protests back then. The picture of how people flocked the Square in early 1800 for a baseball game. This presumably translates that from time immemorial, the Square was used as a center for big occasions.
https://www.tripsavvy.com/thmb/oNU4mhvV5JVK1VjSr9GqAFec6Lc=/1000×0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/GettyImages-498437519-583617025f9b58d5b1e88207.jpg
The picture above shows the 14th street subway. This street is, however, a development site that boasts a 50 feet frontage, and it forms one of the iconic thoroughfares in Manhattan (Union Square).
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.meridiancapital.com%2Fnews%2Fmeridian-exclusively-lists-development-site-in-the-union-square-neighborhood-of-new-york-ny&psig=AOvVaw1MQtkZku12l4XoFRMP5puX&ust=1589352208081000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CEUQr4kDahcKEwiYk_Dt3q3pAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAg
Conclusion
The above illustrations bring to light the development and transformation of Union Square Landmark in New York. The Landmark is one of the iconic places that are not only well renowned for big occasions but also known for its prowess in business. However, controversy exists on the future of this Landmark as there have been fights against privatization and marinating the public space use. This not only looks to be detrimental to the iconic Landmark but also a great blow in its development. Moreover, the proposed Union Square Partnership with their initiative called the “Business Improvement District works” aims at making the Union Square a destination for all new Yorkers will see the business, entertainment, and the entire growth of the surrounding places surge (Donovan, 2019).
References
Donovan, G. T. (2005). REPURPOSING THE SQUARE.
Wood, A. (2013). Preserving New York: Winning the right to protect a city’s landmarks. Routledge.
Opler, D. (2002). Monkey business in union square: A cultural analysis of the Klein’s-Ohrbach’s strikes of 1934-5. journal of social history, 36(1), 149-164.
National Historic Landmarks Program (US National Park Service). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1582/index.htm
Nicholas, T., & Scherbina, A. (2013). Real estate prices during the roaring twenties and the great depression. Real Estate Economics, 41(2), 278-309.
Merwood-Salisbury, J. (2009). Patriotism and Protest: Union Square as Public Space, 1832–1932. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 68(4), 540-559.