Squaring Off: The Fight to Save Washington Sq

When the Parks Dept presented plans to redesign Washington Square and essentially destroy its historic character as a spontaneous performance space, neighbors joined forces. I entered the fray and chronicled the proceedings beginning May 1, 2005; here is a very rough cut of excerpts from my footage. The most controversial points of the redesign (by an unlicensed landscape architect, George Vellonakis) are moving the fountain to align it with the Arch, the flattening {or bringing up to grade) of the sunken fountain plaza and the entire park, and removal of dozens of mature trees. In this excerpt are featured Robert Nichols, lead architect of the existing design, Norman Rosenfeld, a member of his team; Luther Harris, historian; Doris Diether, Zoning Queen and member of CB2, Rev Billy and numerous park users and performers. Filmed by Liza Bear. Dialogue editing by IatrouMorgan. Copyright Liza Bear 2005-2007