Foley Square
New York City, NY
At the heart of NYC’s Civic Center neighborhood is Foley Square, a historic quadrangle flanked by the New York Supreme Court and the Thurgood Marshall US Courthouse. But this square hasn’t always been known for ensuring justice is done; it was once a freshwater swamp home to The Bridewell, a detention center infamous for its appalling conditions, and the notorious Five Points neighborhood.
The basics
Part of Thomas Paine Park in New York’s Civic Center, Foley Square is a quaint square that’s home to a modern sculpture named Triumph of the Human Spirit. This serves as a reminder of the green space’s former identity, when it was a tenement home to working-class immigrants who lived in deplorable conditions. The square is often featured on walking tours that cover immigrant history on the Lower East Side.
Things to know before you go
- Information panels in the park delve deeper into its history.
- The park has plenty of benches.
- There’s a StoryCorps booth on Foley Square, where you can record your life stories to be collected by the US Library of Congress.
How to get there
Foley Square is in Lower Manhattan; you can take the J or Z train to the Chambers Street stop, then walk a few minutes to the square. The M22 bus also stops outside the station, and there are Citi Bike rental racks on the edge of the square.
When to get there
Foley Square is always open, but the best time to visit is during the day in the spring or fall. The square sometimes hosts performances and is sometimes the location of protests, so check online to see what’s coming up.
Near Foley Square
Just a 5-minute walk from Foley Square lies one of the city’s most important National Historic Landmarks. Off Duane Street, you’ll find the African Burial Ground National Monument, which is dedicated to the memory of more than 15,000 Africans who were buried here between the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s often featured on Underground Railroad tours of the city.
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