From Cars to Crowds: Then & Now in Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park, then and now.

It may be hard to imagine today, but for decades cars traveled right through the heart of the park. Beginning in the late 19th century, horse-drawn carriages, trolleys, buses, and eventually automobiles made Washington Square part of the city's street network.

Everything changed in the 1950s and early 1960s, when a determined coalition of neighborhood activists fought to reclaim the park for people. Led by Shirley Hayes and championed by Jane Jacobs, residents organized against powerful planner Robert Moses and his vision of expanding automobile traffic through the area.

Their victory transformed Washington Square Park into the vibrant public space we know today: filled with musicians, chess players, artists, students, and neighbors.