From a 17th-century roadway to a memorial plaza

Located in Lower Manhattan, what was once a 17th-century roadway for Dutch mariners, Coenties Slip, is now a far cry from its past life. In 1884, Jeannette Park bloomed at this spot, named after the ill-fated Jeannette of the Jeannette expedition. In the mid-20th century, city planner Robert Moses rebuilt the park with horseshoe pitches and tennis, paddleball, handball, and shuffleboard courts all arranged around a tear-shaped asphalt plaza with a flagpole.

Horticulturist Samuel Parsons was responsible for laying out the garden in 1886. In 1971, as part of the construction of the neighboring 55 Water Street, Paul Friedberg was commissioned to redesign the land, to which he added the amphitheater fountain. The park was paved in brick similar to the Elevated Acre plaza next to the building.

In 1982, plans were unveiled to redevelop Jeannette Park into a memorial for veterans of the Vietnam War. The park was officially renamed Vietnam Veterans Plaza on July 20, 1983. It was dedicated on May 6, 1985, to honor the 1,741 citizens of the city who died during the Vietnam War and the 250,000 men and women who served between 1964 and 1975.

Mayor Rudy Giuliani rededicated the plaza on November 9, 2001, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, as it underwent a $7 million restoration. A new ceremonial entrance was added providing access from Water Street to South Street and a black granite fountain placed at the center. The "Walk of Honor" contains 12 polished granite pylons with the names and ages at death of all 1,741 people who died.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons