Spring Street Park Renovation

Spring Street Park, at the corner of Spring Street and Avenue of the Americas, had remained untouched since it was built in the 1970s. The Hudson Square Business Improvement District formed a partnership with the NYC Parks Department to transform it into an inviting, sustainable space with more trees, seating and energy-efficient lighting to encourage year-round use. In addition, the 1997 monument to General Jose Artigas was relocated and placed in a more prominent location at the center of the park.

The statue of the Uruguayan independence leader and national hero, General José Artigas is one of a pantheon of six sculptures to Latin American leaders which overlook the Avenue of the Americas. Spring Street Park was one of several wedge-shaped public plazas created when Sixth Avenue was extended south of Carmine Street in the 1920s. The street was renamed Avenue of the Americas in 1945 at the suggestion of Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, to honor Pan-American ideals and principles.

Hudson Square, once an industrial printing district, now is home to than 1,000 businesses and 40,000 creative and tech professionals, and the Hudson Square Business Improvement District has recognized the need to create a vibrant streetscape in response to this growth. The Hudson Square BID developed a five-year, $27M comprehensive streetscape improvement plan called “Hudson Square is NOW.” As a gateway to Hudson Square, Spring Street Park serves as a centerpiece of this effort. The goal of this reconstruction was a revitalized open space resource for Hudson Square, and a new identity for the space in keeping with the revitalized neighborhood.

Construction began in winter 2017, with the formal ribbon cutting taking place on October 25, 2018.