Since formal incorporation in October 2012, WSPC has made innumerable contributions to the Park both big and small. As we look back over a decade of support, we sat down with Parkies from across the spectrum, from WSPC volunteers and program participants, as well as NYC Parks and Conservancy staff. Here’s what they said were some of the Conservancy’s biggest triumphs. 

#1 – staffing lines

• We’ve grown from supporting a single seasonal role at $5,000 a year to five full-time and two seasonal positions at nearly $314,538 in 2022. These positions, which WSPC funds as grants to NYC Parks, have a real and lasting impact for Washington Square, meaning more hands at work gardening, cleaning and supporting kids and families. 

#2 – volunteers

• Since our beginnings, a core part of the mission has been to recruit and deploy enthusiastic volunteers in Washington Square Park in service to this vibrant community space. What began a decade ago with occasional community days has now blossomed into a thriving and diverse volunteer program, with over 200 volunteers contributing 1600 hours in 2021 — despite a still-raging pandemic. As the community has gotten more involved and engaged in giving back to the Park, WSPC has tailored the available opportunities to provide as many different and exciting ways to contribute as people want to tackle.

#3 –  Programs

• Since we first began hosting organized programs in 2014, the lineup has grown from 4 to a robust list of 14 recurring activities at the height of the 2022 season. The increase in the number and variety of available offerings has been incredibly quick, with much of it coming in response to the community’s changing needs during the worst of the pandemic. Whether you want to dance, take a fitness class, work your creative muscles, learn a new skill, or bring your kids to something fun, there’s an activity to pique your interest. Programs aren’t just fun, they allow us to target areas in the Park that need positive activation. With a particular eye towards disrupting skateboarding and illicit/illegal activity, WSPC hosts events in Garibaldi and Holley Plazas.

#4 – landscaping budget– Landscaping

• Keeping the landscapes of Washington Square Park healthy and thriving is a monumental task. One of the busiest parks in the city for its small size, it sees tens of thousands of people pass through each day. All that usage takes a toll. Lawns are compacted by feet and picnic-ers. Garden beds get filled with trash and the bathroom leavings of countless dogs. Park users, without meaning harm, trample shrubs and even purposely graffiti trees. Thanks to the Conservancy’s consistent investment,  WSP’s landscapes receive far more than adequate care.

#5 – Lights cleaning

• This year a hardworking NYC Parks team, fully-funded by the Conservancy, has been carefully cleaning each pane of glass in the Park’s iconic streetlights. It involves specialized equipment and a dedicated team to remove the covers from each light, clean the panes, and then reinstall the fixtures. These lights haven’t been cleaned since they were installed a decade ago, and without Conservancy support they would still be dirty. Want to contribute to the light cleaning project? Donate now.

#6 – Lawn Restoration

• In the summer of 2020, the NW Lawn reopened after a year-long closure for a much-needed restoration and rest. The lawn is the largest in the Park, at approximately 39,000 square feet, and its size and popularity led to serious issues such as soil compaction and erosion. Thanks to a grant from Dalio Philanthropies, the lawn has been restored, with improvements made with an eye to the long-term health of the lawn.

#7 – Eco Blaster

• In 2021 the Conservancy added a new team member…an Eco Blaster portable pressure washer! Pressure washing is an essential part of Washington Square Park’s maintenance, used for everything from cleaning graffiti off benches to algae growth in the fountain. With the Eco Blaster’s portable water tank, it can do the work even in winter, when  the water lines in the Park are turned off to prevent freezing.

#8 – Garibaldi Plaza planters

• In 2019 WSPC purchased 4 planters for the Park. Each weighs over 1,400lbs, and that’s without soil or flowers! They have found new homes in front of the monument and the stage. Garibaldi Plaza has long been a magnet for skateboarders in the Park. While there is a “no wheeled devices” rule in place for WSP, it still holds an attraction for those who like to grind on the base of the monument or do tricks off the steps of the stage. These planters have been strategically placed to interrupt preferred skating pathways where 5 different walking paths come together. It’s one creative, and attractive, deterrent to an ongoing safety issue in the Park.

#9 – Turf expansion at the Play Hills

• In 2017, WSPC funded an expansion of the soy turf along both sides of the ever-popular Play Hills! The expansion gave children more space to run and play, and provided their guardians a larger area to sit and store their carriages.While it’s tough to keep the grass thriving there in the shade, the turf is a good alternative.

#10 – Graffiti-fighting tools

• In addition to the eco-blaster, the Conservancy has funded the use of a specialized anti-graffiti coating on the Park’s monuments. The coating allows for complete removal of the graffiti without any lingering ghosting and without needing to call in the specialists at NYC Parks’ Monuments division. Garibaldi Monument was coated first, and after a 4ft x 4ft year-long test patch on the Arch, both columns were fully coated this fall. These efforts will go a long way towards protecting this iconic monuments from future tagging.