Vietnam Veterans Plaza

Plaza in Manhattan, New York

Vietnam Veterans Plaza

United States
For New York City veterans of the Vietnam War
Established| May 4, 1985 (1985-05-04)
Location| 40°42′09″N 74°00′35″W﻿ / ﻿40.7025°N 74.009722°W﻿ / 40.7025; -74.009722

Financial District, Manhattan

Designed by| Peter Wormser, William Fellows, and Joseph Ferrandino
TVA Memorial Day Ceremony at Vietnam Memorial TVA Memorial Day Ceremony at Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Plaza is an American memorial plaza in Manhattan, New York. It honors New York City citizens who served during the 20th-century Vietnam War.

## Description and history

[edit]

Located in the Financial District in Lower Manhattan, it lies on a trapezoidal parcel of land that was formerly a roadway named Coenties Slip. The slip road was used from the 17th century by Dutch sailors between journeys.[1][2][3] The slip was filled in 1835, and it then became Jeannette Park in 1884, dedicated to the ill-fated Jeannette of the Jeannette expedition.[4] Horticulturist Samuel Parsons was responsible for laying out the garden in 1886.

By the mid-20th century, city planner Robert Moses had rebuilt the park with "horseshoe pitches and tennis, paddleball, handball, and shuffleboard courts all arranged around a tear-shaped asphalt plaza with a flagpole".[5] As part of the construction of the neighboring 55 Water Street, Paul Friedberg was commissioned to redesign the land in 1971, to which he added the amphitheater fountain.[5] Initially, 55 Water Street's owners were responsible for maintaining the park, which was paved in brick similar to the Elevated Acre plaza next to the building.[6]

In 1982, plans were unveiled to redevelop Jeannette Park into a memorial for veterans of the Vietnam War.[6] The architects Peter Wormser and William Fellows and the writer Joseph Ferrandino won a competition to design it.[5] The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission raised private donations of $2.5 million ($1 million from Donald Trump, who served as co-chairman of the commission) to finance the memorial in 1983.[7][8] The park was officially renamed Vietnam Veterans Plaza on July 20, 1983.[9] The next year, it was announced that the plaza would contain a memorial wall, similar to that at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial but made of glass blocks.[10][11] It was dedicated on May 6, 1985, by then-mayor Edward I. Koch to honor the 1,741 citizens of the city who died during the Vietnam War and the 250,000 men and women who served between 1964 and 1975.[12]

Mayor Rudy Giuliani rededicated the plaza on November 9, 2001, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, as it underwent a $7 million restoration.[5][13] A new ceremonial entrance was added providing access from Water Street to South Street and a black granite fountain placed at the center. The "Walk of Honor" contains 12 polished granite pylons with the names and ages at death of all 1,741 people who died.[5]

In the future, the park may be the site of an entrance to a Second Avenue Subway station under Hanover Square.[4]

## See also

[edit]

* List of buildings, sites, and monuments in New York City

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (May 11, 2010). AIA Guide to New York City. Oxford University Press. p. 27\. ISBN 978-0-19-977291-9.
2. ^ Rémillard, François (May 1, 2000). New York City: 2000–2001. Ulysses. p. 140\. ISBN 978-2-89464-236-8.
3. ^ Cohen, Steven (1997). New York. Nelles Verlag. p. 48\. ISBN 978-3-88618-903-8.
4. ^ a b Second Avenue Subway in the Borough of Manhattan, New York County: Environmental Impact Statement. 2004. p. 146.
5. ^ a b c d e "Vietnam Veterans Plaza". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
6. ^ a b "Downtown Site Chosen for a Vietnam Memorial". The New York Times. September 17, 1982. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
7. ^ Geist, William E. (April 8, 1984). "The Expanding Empire of Donald Trump". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
8. ^ Santucci, John (July 20, 2015). "Leader of New York Veterans Group Defends Donald Trump". ABC News. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
9. ^ Johnston, Laurie; Anderson, Susan Heller (July 21, 1983). "New York Day by Day; Park Renamed to Honor Vietnam Veterans". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
10. ^ Dunlap, David W. (May 30, 1984). "Wall to Honor City's Veterans of Vietnam". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
11. ^ Lescaze, Lee (June 26, 1984). "Vietnam: New York City Remembers". The Wall Street Journal. p. 1\. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 397961566.
12. ^ Gross, Jane (May 7, 1985). "New York Pays Homage to Vietnam Veterans". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
13. ^ Collins, Glenn (November 10, 2001). "Fresh Pain at Plaza Downtown; Refurbished Vietnam Memorial Is Dedicated, 11/9/01". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vietnam Veterans Plaza (Manhattan).

* Vietnam Veterans Plaza at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation's official website

* v
* t
* e

Financial District

Manhattan, New York City

Buildings

| West of Broadway/
State Street|

* 1 Broadway
* 21 West Street
* 65 Broadway
* 90 West Street
* 88 Greenwich Street
* 94 Greenwich Street
* 125 Greenwich Street
* 130 Cedar Street
* 195 Broadway
* American Stock Exchange Building
* Barclay–Vesey Building
* Bowling Green Offices Building
* Castle Clinton
* City Pier A
* Cunard Building
* Downtown Athletic Club
* Empire Building
* Firehouse, Engine Company 10 and Ladder Company 10
* James Watson House
* New York County Lawyers' Association Building
* Old New York Evening Post Building
* Robert and Anne Dickey House
* St. George's Syrian Catholic Church
* St. Paul's Chapel
* St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church
* Transportation Building
* Trinity and United States Realty Buildings
* Trinity Church
* Trinity Court Building
* Whitehall Building
* World Trade Center
* One
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 7
* Perelman Performing Arts Center
* St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
* Vehicular Security Center
* Westfield Mall

|

East of Broadway/
State Street|

* 1 Hanover Square
* 1 New York Plaza
* 1 Wall Street
* 1 Wall Street Court
* 1 William Street
* 2 Broadway
* 2 New York Plaza
* 5 Beekman Street
* 14 Wall Street
* 15 Broad Street
* 15 William
* 17 State Street
* 19 Dutch
* 20 Exchange Place
* 23 Wall Street
* 25 Water Street
* 26 Broadway
* 28 Liberty Street
* 32 Old Slip
* 37 Wall Street
* 40 Wall Street
* 45 Broad Street
* 48 Wall Street
* 52 Broadway
* 55 Broad Street
* 55 Wall Street
* 55 Water Street
* 56 Beaver Street (Delmonico's)
* 56 Pine Street
* 60 Wall Street
* 63 Wall Street
* 63 Nassau Street
* 70 Pine Street
* 75 Wall Street
* 90–94 Maiden Lane
* 116 John Street
* 120 Wall Street
* 130 William
* 140 Broadway
* 150 Nassau Street
* 161 Maiden Lane
* 161 Water Street
* 170–176 John Street
* 250 Water Street
* Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
* American Bank Note Company Building
* American Surety Building
* Bennett Building
* Broad Exchange Building
* Chamber of Commerce Building
* Continental Bank Building
* Continental Center
* Corbin Building
* Down Town Association
* Equitable Building
* Excelsior Power Company Building
* Federal Hall National Memorial
* Federal Reserve Bank of New York Building
* Fraunces Tavern
* Home Insurance Plaza
* John Street Methodist Church
* Keuffel & Esser Company Building
* Lee, Higginson & Company Bank Building
* Liberty Tower
* Morse Building
* New York City Police Museum
* New York Stock Exchange Building
* New York Times Building
* Park Row Building
* Potter Building
* Wall Street Plaza

Former buildings|

* Alexander Macomb House
* Astor House
* Barnum's American Museum
* Blair Building
* City Hotel
* City Investing Building
* Equitable Life Building
* Gillender Building
* Gilsey Building
* Government House
* Hanover National Building
* Howard Hotel
* Kemble Building
* Knickerbocker Trust Company Building
* Manhattan Life Insurance Building
* Mills Building
* Mortimer Building
* New York Produce Exchange
* New York Tribune Building
* New York World Building
* Pearl Street Station
* St. Paul Building
* Singer Building
* Stadt Huys
* Tontine Coffee House
* Tower Building
* Western Union Telegraph Building
* World Trade Center
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7

Other points of interest

| Arts and culture|

* Charging Bull
* China Chalet
* Fearless Girl
* Four Continents
* The Sphere
* Titanic Memorial

|

Parks and plazas|

* Austin J. Tobin Plaza‎‎ (former)
* The Battery
* Bowling Green
* Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza
* Hudson River Park
* Imagination Playground
* Liberty Park
* Louise Nevelson Plaza
* Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden
* Vietnam Veterans Plaza
* Zuccotti Park

Food and drink|

* Brasserie Les Halles
* China Chalet
* Crown Shy
* Delmonico's
* Fraunces Tavern
* Rolfe's Chop House
* Saga
* The Dead Rabbit

Education

| Schools|

* High School of Economics and Finance
* Leadership and Public Service High School
* Léman Manhattan Preparatory School
* Millennium High School
* New York Film Academy
* Pace University
* Pine Street School New York

|

Museums|

* China Institute
* Federal Hall National Memorial
* Fraunces Tavern
* George Gustav Heye Center
* Mmuseumm
* Museum of American Finance
* Museum of Jewish Heritage
* New York City Police Museum
* Skyscraper Museum
* South Street Seaport

Transportation

| Public
transport|

* Subway
* Bowling Green
* Broad Street
* Fulton Street
* Rector St/Greenwich St
* Rector St/Trinity Pl
* South Ferry/Whitehall St
* Wall St/William St
* Wall St/Broadway
* WTC Cortlandt
* PATH
* World Trade Center
* Ferries
* Pier 11/Wall Street
* South Ferry
* Battery Maritime Building
* Whitehall Terminal

|

Other transport|

* Downtown Manhattan Heliport
* Wall Street Skyport

Streets|

* Albany
* Beaver
* Bridge
* Broad
* Broadway
* Church/Trinity Place
* Cortlandt
* Dey
* Exchange
* Fulton
* Greenwich
* John
* Liberty
* Maiden Lane
* Marketfield
* Nassau
* Pearl
* South
* Spruce
* State
* Stone
* Theatre Alley
* Vesey/Ann
* Wall
* Washington
* West
* Whitehall
* William

See also: Manhattan Community Board 1

* v
* t
* e

Protected areas of New York City

Federal

| National Historic Sites|

* Lower East Side Tenement Museum
* Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

|

National monuments
and memorials|

* African Burial Ground
* Castle Clinton
* Federal Hall
* General Grant
* Governors Island
* Hamilton Grange
* Statue of Liberty
* Stonewall

National recreation areas|

* Gateway National Recreation Area - Jamaica Bay
* Floyd Bennett Field
* Fort Tilden
* Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
* Jacob Riis
* Gateway National Recreation Area - Staten Island
* Fort Wadsworth
* Great Kills
* Hoffman Island
* Miller Field
* Swinburne Island

State

| State Parks|

* Bayswater Point
* Clay Pit Ponds
* Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms
* Gantry Plaza
* Marsha P. Johnson
* Riverbank
* Roberto Clemente
* Shirley Chisholm

|

State recreation lands|

* Mount Loretto Unique Area
* Udalls Cove

City parks and preserves

| Manhattan|

* 79th Street Boat Basin
* Abe Lebewohl Park
* Abingdon Square
* Albert Capsouto
* Asphalt Green
* Asser Levy
* Battery
* Bella Abzug (Hudson)
* Bellevue South
* Bennett
* British Garden at Hanover Square
* Bowling Green
* Bryant
* Captain Patrick J. Brown Walk
* Carl Schurz
* Central
* Diana Ross Playground
* Great Lawn Rec Center
* Heckscher Playground
* North Meadow Rec Center
* Tarr Family Playground
* Chelsea
* City Hall
* Coleman Playground
* Collect
* Columbus
* Corlears Hook
* Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
* Damrosch
* Dante
* DeSalvio Playground
* DeWitt Clinton
* Drumgoole Plaza
* Duane
* East River Greenway
* East River Esplanade
* East River
* Pier 42
* Stuyvesant Cove
* Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza
* Father Demo Square
* Finn Square
* Foley Square
* Fort Tryon
* Fort Washington
* Gorman
* Governors Island
* Gramercy
* Grand Army Plaza
* Greenacre
* Hamilton Fish
* Hanover Square
* Harlem River
* Hell's Kitchen
* Herald Square
* High Line
* Highbridge
* Fort George Seating Area
* Holcombe Rucker
* Hudson River
* Ilka Tanya Payán
* Imagination Playground
* Inwood Hill
* Isham
* J. Hood Wright
* Jackie Robinson
* Jackson Square
* John Jay
* Liberty
* Little Island
* Louis Cuvillier
* Madison Square
* Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
* MacArthur
* Marcus Garvey
* McKenna Square
* Millennium
* Mill Rock
* Mitchel Square
* Montefiore Square
* Morningside
* Murphy's Brother's Playground
* Muscota Marsh
* Open Road
* Paley
* Peretz Square
* Peter Cooper
* Peter Detmold
* Plaza Lafayette
* Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden
* Ralph Bunche
* Randalls Island
* Richard Tucker Square
* Riverside
* Robert Moses Playground
* Roosevelt Triangle
* Rucker
* Sakura
* Samuel N. Bennerson 2nd Playground
* Sara Delano Roosevelt
* Septuagesimo Uno
* Seward
* Sheridan Square
* Sherman Square
* Spring Street
* St. John's
* St. Nicholas
* St. Vartan
* Straus
* Stuyvesant Square
* Swindler Cove
* Teardrop
* Theodore Roosevelt
* Thomas Jefferson
* Thomas Paine
* Tompkins Square
* Tribeca
* Trygve Lie
* Union Square
* Verdi Square
* Vesuvio Playground
* Vietnam Veterans Plaza
* Vincent F. Albano Jr.
* Wagner
* Wards Island
* Washington Market
* Washington Square
* West Side Community Garden
* William A. Harris Garden
* Winston Churchill Square
* Zuccotti

|

The Bronx|

| East Bronx|

* Bicentennial Veterans
* Castle Hill
* City Island Wetlands
* Ferry Point
* Givans Creek Woods
* Haffen
* Harding
* Hart Island
* Magenta Playground
* Pelham Bay
* Hunter Island
* Orchard Beach
* Rodman's Neck
* Pelham Parkway
* Pugsley Creek
* Richman
* Seton Falls
* Seton
* Soundview
* Starlight

|

West Bronx|

* Aqueduct Walk
* Bridge
* Bronx
* Bronx Skate Park
* Devoe
* Ewen
* Harris
* Henry Hudson
* Jerome
* Mosholu Parkway
* Poe
* Raoul Wallenberg Forest
* Riverdale
* Spuyten Duyvil Shorefront
* St. James
* University Woods
* Van Cortlandt
* Vidalia
* Vinmont Veteran
* Washington's Walk
* Williamsbridge Oval

South Bronx|

* Baretto Point
* Bill Rainey
* Carlos J. Lozada Playground
* Claremont
* Concrete Plant
* Crotona
* Estella Diggs
* Grant
* Hunts Point Riverside
* Joseph Rodman Drake
* Joyce Kilmer
* Julius Richman
* Macombs Dam
* Mill Pond
* Mullaly
* North and South Brother Islands
* Playground 52
* Printer's
* Richman
* St. Mary's
* Taqwa Community Farm
* Tremont

Brooklyn|

* Alben Square
* American Veterans Memorial Pier
* Amersfort
* Anthony Catanzaro Square
* Asser Levy
* Ascenzi Square
* Bartel-Pritchard Square
* Bath Beach
* Betsy Head
* Bensonhurst
* Bocchino-Dente Memorial Plaza
* Breukelen Ballfields
* Brooklyn Bridge
* Brooklyn Heights Promenade
* Brooklyn–Queens Greenway
* Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway
* Brower
* Bushwick
* Byrne
* Cadman Plaza
* Canarsie
* Carroll
* Calvert Vaux
* Chief Charles A. Joshua Plaza
* City Line
* Coffey
* Columbus
* Commodore Barry
* Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk
* Coney Island Creek
* Coney Island Cyclone
* Continental Army Plaza
* Cooper
* Domino
* Dyker Beach
* Eastern Parkway
* Fort Greene
* Four Sparrow Marsh
* Frank M. Charles
* Fresh Creek Nature Preserve
* Friends Field
* Fulton
* Golconda Skate Park
* Grand Army Plaza
* Gravesend
* Green Central Knoll
* Herbert Von King
* Highland
* Irving Square
* JJ Byrne
* Jamaica Bay
* John J. Carty
* John Paul Jones
* Kaiser
* Kelly
* Leif Ericson
* Leon S. Kaiser Playground
* Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino
* Lincoln Terrace
* Linden
* Lindower
* Linton
* Macri Triangle
* Manhattan Beach
* Maria Hernandez
* Marine
* McCarren
* McGolrick
* McKinley
* Mt. Prospect
* Nellie Bly
* Ocean Parkway
* Owl's Head
* Paerdegat Basin
* Paerdegat
* Prospect
* Red Hook
* Robert E. Venable
* Russell D. Ramsey Triangle
* Saratoga
* Scarangella
* Seaside
* Seth Low
* Shore
* Spring Creek
* Steeplechase
* Sternberg
* St. Johns
* Sunset
* Tompkins
* Trinity
* Van Voorhees
* Walt Whitman
* Wingate
* WNYC Transmitter
* Zion Triangle

Queens|

* Admiral
* Alley Pond
* Andrews Grove
* Astoria
* Baisley Pond
* Bayside Fields
* Bayswater
* Beach Channel
* Big Bush
* Bowne
* Brant Point Wildlife Sanctuary
* Breininger
* Broad Channel American
* Broad Channel
* Broad Channel Wetlands
* Brooklyn–Queens Greenway
* Brookville
* Bulova
* Captain Tilly
* Catholic War Veterans Triangle
* Chris Postiglione Triangle
* College Point Fields
* Crocheron
* Cunningham
* Det. Keith L. Williams
* Det. William T. Gunn
* Dr. Charles R. Drew
* Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary
* Doughboy
* Douglaston
* Elmhurst
* Evergreen
* Far Rockaway Skate Park
* Feehan Triangle
* Flushing Fields
* Flushing Meadows-Corona
* Foch Sitting Area
* Forest
* Fort Tilden
* Fort Totten
* Francis Lewis
* Frank Golden
* Frank Principe
* Haggerty
* Harvey
* Highland
* Hillcrest Veterans Square
* Hinton
* Hoffman
* Hook Creek
* Hunter's Point
* Idlewild
* Jamaica Bay
* Joe Sabba
* John Golden
* Judge Moses Weinstein Playground
* Juniper Valley
* Kissena
* Kohlreiter Square
* Kopytko Triangle
* Libra Triangle
* Linden
* Linnaeus
* Little Bay
* LoCicero Triangle
* Louis Pasteur
* Lynch Triangle
* Mafera
* Macneil
* Marconi
* Marie Curie
* Montbellier
* O'Donohue
* One Room Schoolhouse
* Overlook
* Park of the Americas
* Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto
* Playground Seventy Five
* Ofc. Edward Byrne
* Powell's Cove
* Proctor-Hopson Circle
* Queens County Farm Museum
* Queensbridge
* Rachel Carson
* Railroad
* Ralph Demarco
* Remsen Cemetery
* Rochdale
* Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk
* Rockaway Community
* Roy Wilkins
* Rufus King
* Seagirt Avenue Wetlands
* Socrates Sculpture
* Spring Creek
* Springfield
* St. Albans
* Travers
* Travis Triangle
* Triangle 54
* Tribute
* Tudor
* Turtle Playground
* Underbridge Dog Run
* Vleigh Playground
* Walter J. Wetzel Triangle
* Wayanda

Staten Island|

| North Shore
(Community District 1)|

* Allison Pond
* Austen House
* Buono Beach
* Barrett
* Clove Lakes
* Clove's Tail
* Corporal Thompson
* Eibs Pond
* Faber
* Forest Grove
* Fort Hill
* Gaeta
* Graniteville Quarry
* Graniteville Swamp
* Hero
* Ingram Woods
* Jones Woods
* Joseph Manna
* Lyons Pool Recreation Center
* Maple Woods
* Northerleigh
* Richmond Terrace Wetlands
* Sailors' Snug Harbor
* Shooters Island
* Silver Lake
* Sobel Court
* Tappen
* Tompkinsville
* Von Briesen
* Walker
* Westerleigh

|

Mid-Island
(Community District 2)|

* Blood Root Valley
* Bradys Pond
* Deere
* Father Macris
* FDR Boardwalk
* Gen. MacArthur
* High Rock
* Last Chance
* Midland Field
* Ocean Breeze
* Old Place Creek
* Prall's Island
* Saw Mill Creek Marsh
* Schmul
* South Beach Wetlands
* St. George
* Staten Island Industrial
* Westwood
* Willowbrook

Mid-Island & South Shore
(Community Districts 2 & 3)|

* Freshkills
* LaTourette
* Meredith Woods
* William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge

South Shore
(Community District 3)|

* Aesop
* Amundsen Circle
* Annadale
* Arbutus Woods
* Arden Woods
* Bayview Terrace
* Bloomingdale
* Blue Heron
* Blueberry
* Bunker Ponds
* Carlton
* Conference House
* Crescent Beach
* Fairview
* Great Kills
* Huguenot Ponds
* Hybrid Oak Woods
* Isle of Meadows
* King Fisher
* Kingdom Pond
* Lemon Creek
* Long Pond
* Olmstead-Beil House
* Reed's Basket Willow Swamp
* Seaside Wildlife Nature
* Siedenburg
* Tottenville Shore
* Wegener
* Wolfe's Pond

Other

| Nature centers|

* Alley Pond
* Belvedere Castle
* Blue Heron
* Crotona
* Dana Discovery Center
* Forest
* Fort Greene
* Fort Totten
* Greenbelt
* High Rock
* Inwood Hill
* Orchard Beach
* Prospect
* Salt Marsh
* Van Cortlandt

|

Zoos|

* Bronx
* Central Park
* Prospect Park
* Queens
* Staten Island

Botanical gardens|

* Brooklyn Botanic
* Conservatory
* New York Botanical
* Queens Botanical
* Staten Island Botanical
* New York Chinese Scholar's
* Wave Hill

Roosevelt Island|

* Lighthouse
* Southpoint

Other lists|

* World War I-related parks
* Vietnam War-related parks
* Hispanic and Latino-related parks

* Category
* Department of Parks and Recreation
* New York State
* Commons

Portals:

* Architecture
* New York City

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