The
Sheridan Square Viewing GardenThe
Sheridan Square Viewing Garden
Location and Transportation: The Garden is in Greenwich Village, New York City, on Sheridan Square -- the triangle bounded by West 4th Street, Washington Place and Barrow Street. (Note that this is not the park with the statue of General Sheridan--that's Christopher Park, around the corner.) The nearest subway stations are the Christopher St-Sheridan Sq IRT #1, a half block to the west and the West 4th Street station of the A,B,C,D,E and F lines two blocks to the east. See the street map of the area for more information.
History: Until 1981 the site of the Garden was a traffic safety island usually filled with illegally parked cars and delivery trucks. At that time, a group of Village residents, led by the late Vera Schneider, formed the Sheridan Square Triangle Association. The NYC Dept. of Transportation provided site preparation, and Community Board 2, the NYS Urban Development Corporation and the City Public Development Corporation provided an initial grant. It was landscaped and planted in 1982, and in 1989 became part of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, ensuring its continuation as a garden. You can see a photo of the volunteers at the ceremony celebrating the remapping of the site from street to parkland.
Design: The Garden was designed by the late Pamela Berdan, a Village resident who is responsible for many gardens in the area. It was planned to be seen from the sidewalk, with the central mound providing varied terrain for a rock garden on West 4th St., an area of blue-hued plants on Washington Place, and a shaded, wooded area facing Barrow Street. Each spring, tulips bloom in the major beds, followed by azaleas, rhododendrons and crabapples. In the summer, other perennials and annuals bloom, and with autumn, the colors of the asters, geraniums and the changing foliage appear. The major trees and shrubs are shown on the plan and key. The plan also shows the main beds and the larger plantings. Most of the shrubs not keyed are types of juniper. There are hundreds of varieties of plants, many of which are rare or not often seen in city gardens. Look especially in the rock garden and the wooded areas.
Volunteers: A garden does not take care of itself. All work is done by the volunteers who plant, weed, water, pick up the garbage, kill the bugs and replace dying plants. New volunteers are always welcome! No experience or knowledge is needed, just the willingness to learn and get your hands dirty. The usual work time is Saturday mornings from about 10:30 am. It's not necessary to commit yourself every week, just be reasonably consistent. Just show up -- you'll be shown what has to be done, meet the other volunteers and be given the "grand tour". In "real life" the volunteers include people from the art, business and science worlds -- you'll fit in!
Membership: The garden receives no financial support from the City. The sole source of funding is membership contributions from community residents and businesses. Your help is needed as member to pay for the plants, tools, mulch, soil, and occasional professional services. Memberships are $10 General, $25 Sustaining, and $100 Business . To join, please send your membership contribution (checks payable to "The Sheridan Square Triangle Association") to the membership chair, Virginia Stotz, 119 Washington Place - Apt 19, New York, NY 10014. A membership form you can print is available here.
