Reimagined: St. Vincent’s Triangle Park and the NYC AIDS Memorial
Submitted to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation by Mitchell Stanford of The New School
Over the course of four months, I have researched St. Vincent’s Triangle Park and the NYC AIDS Memorial, located between the crossroads of 7th Avenue, 12th street and Greenwich Avenue in New York City’s West Village. Through my research, I have found that there would be a better way for people to interact with the AIDS memorial and the space within the park. I have used the semiotic method to more deeply understand the elements within the park and have conducted interviews to further understand the user experience. I am proposing to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to reconsider the use of green space at the core of the park by instating the park’s initial objective to conserve green space. I have envisioned a pair of benches that form a circular shape made of wood and grass to help the multitudes of users engage with the park’s space and each other. The configuration of the two benches allows people to face outwards and engage with themselves or face inwards and interact with strangers, dogs, or other. With the new memorial being at the center of the park rather than tucked away in the corner, the memorial will be used more than it is now. I conducted a research of movement and found that most of the human activity takes place around the edges of the park where benches are placed along the fencing. The yard in the middle of the park could be better used by encouraging a place to sit and interact, as it will also be a visual attraction. I am asking for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to fund this inexpensive but impactful project which will be approximately six hundred dollars. This project will only require lumber, grass, nails, and labor.
St. Vincent’s Triangle Park houses the NYC AIDS Memorial, a sculptural beauty but one that is underutilized by park attendees. I have devised a proposal that can complement and/or replace the existing memorial by making the space more interactive. Two benches configured to form a seemingly full circle will allow people to face each other or face outwards towards the park’s surroundings.
This circle is a symbol of unity and community; this is a reimagination of the existing circle under the memorial pavilion which currently symbolizes unification and the Self.
The new proposal is less stark and cold as the existing memorial is made of white steel and gray concrete. The newly proposed benches, covered in soft and sustainable green grass, makes the memorial more inviting and accessible being at the center of the park. Through a survey I conducted in my researching process, I found that most people would agree that the memorial section of the park is underused and therefore could be better placed within the park. In my research, I found that historically, this space next to what was once St. Vincent’s Hospital and is now Lenox Health Club has been regarded as quiet, disease ridden, and has even been avoided. The materials of the existing memorial isolate the memorial and deter attendees from being in that section of the park. As the attitude toward this site has shifted to one that is welcoming, this proposed site intervention will encourage music circles, conversation, and other social gatherings that will further positive energy within the park’s boundaries. As part of my survey, I found that most people agreed that this space was to be used by all kinds of people and is not defined by one single group of users. The benches will serve as a platform for people to interact with not only themselves but the other groups that choose to visit.
The total time to execute the project will be approximately twenty days, and the total time it will take to complete the construction of the project should be three days so long that there is a full staff of workers handling the manual construction of the project. There will be one project manager who will be myself, as well as three other workers; myself and one other in charge of measuring and cutting wood and the other two to assemble the main frame of the benches. Once the foundation is built, we will all plant the grass and add finishing touches to the benches. The goal of this project is to make St. Vincent’s Triangle park more engaging to its users as currently it is set up for exclusively private conversations. Some objectives of the finished project are for organized groups such as religious groups, LGBT community members, musical groups, and strangers to enjoy the newly invigorated space. Another objective is to better utilize the physical space within the boundaries so that no space goes unvisited or unused. These goals and objectives can be met instantly after completion and will always be reached as long as the park is open to the public.
As I have not yet orchestrated a project, I am confident in my research that this project assures positive results. I have spent many months studying and interacting with the space and people that use it. Through making a survey and interviewing park goers, I feel confident that I understand how people currently use the space and what they feel it is missing. I identified two groups of users and further broke down how they use and interpret the site, and what they believe the sight is or could be useful for. LGBT community members and friends of the LGBT community both agreed that the space, although commemorating AIDS and the surrounding neighborhoods, is to be enjoyed by all kinds of people regardless of how they identify themselves.
The New School allows for me to apply for a grant to execute this project if funding is denied by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. I can then source and employ the necessary materials and personnel to complete this project. The New School will enthusiastically support the construction and execution of the project as they have facilitated and supported my ongoing research of St. Vincent’s Triangle Park. The school offers people that practice architectural design, product design, carpentry and environmentalism that will help to strengthen the process necessary for the completion of this site intervention. Upon the approval of the proposal, a carefully planned schedule of events will take place in order to complete the project as smoothly as possible.
All work will be carried out from 7 A.M. to 5 P.M. and the proposed schedule of the project is the following:
May 15 Approval of proposition by New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
May 22 Confirm working staff and personnel
May 29 Acquire working materials and move to project site
June 1 Begin construction of wooden base of benches
June 2 Complete bench foundation
June 3 Add grass top and smaller landscape details
June 4 Opening ceremony of new memorial
Upon the completion of the project, the opening ceremony will be open to the public and a small event will take place during the afternoon to attract a crowd. I hope you find the meaning in this very important installation as the community can greatly benefit from it for many years to come. A lot of research and time has been put forth and can be assured that the proposal for an interactive and beautiful installation of benches will be a hidden gem in the West Village neighborhood.
Thank you,
Mitchell Stanford
The New School
Annotated bibliography
“NYC AIDS Memorial Park at St. Vincent’s Triangle.” Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/nyc-aids-memorial-park-at-st-vincent-s-triangle/history.
This source helped me find general information about the origin of St. Vincent’s Triangle Park and its role in history.
Jackson, Kenneth. “Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.” gvshp.org. http://www.gvshp.org/_gvshp/resources/history.htm
This source helped me gather information about West Village and the space that the park occupies. It provided the cultural context for the park during the AIDS epidemic.
Charles Perrow and Mauro F. Guillén, The AIDS Disaster: The Failure of Organizations in New York and the Nation, (Yale University Press, 1990). https://books.google.com/books?id=KuyZLvt7Gr0C&dq=nyc+aids+memorial&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s
This source provided insight on the attitudes towards LGBT community members before, during, and after the AIDS epidemic. It provided me with information about social problems as well as problems with the government and society as a whole.
Whitman, Walt. Song of Myself. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45477/song-of-myself-1892-version
This is a digital copy of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself which I used to give myself an idea of what the poem is about.
Northwell Health “Lenox Hill Hospital Marks World Aids Day and Opening of the New York City AIDS Memorial” https://www.northwell.edu/about/news/press-releases/lenox-hill-hospital-marks-world-aids-day-and-opening-new-york-city-aids