The Bodies of Washington Square Park

In 1889, to mark the centennial of George Washington’s presidency, the city of New York erected a wood and plaster arch at the north end of Washington Square Park, at the foot of Fifth Avenue. It proved so popular that Stanford White was commissioned to build a permanent marble version — modeled after Paris’ Arc de Triomphe — completed in 1892. During construction, workers unearthed human remains, a coffin, and a gravestone from 1803, found ten feet below ground. Washington Square Park had served as a graveyard from the 1700s until 1825. The remains of over 20,000 people are still buried there today.

In 1980, artist Francis Hines wrapped the arch in 8,000 yards of polyester net. Working in the tradition of Christo and Jean-Claude, Hines uses rope, fabric, metal, and mechanical devices to envelop large objects — the tension of the wrapping representing, in his view, the “human struggle to free itself from restricting forces.” Secured with cable and hand-fabricated steel fixtures, the installation stayed up for six days.

Washington Square Park remains a public park despite being effectively surrounded by NYU — still a gathering place for street musicians, chess players, and the perpetually unhurried.

Location: 5th Ave and Waverly Place, West 4th and MacDougal St