8. We Have Boss Tweed To Thank for Washington Square Park
The vilified crook of New York City’s history also did some good stuff (while taking more than his share in graft of course). In 1870, Boss Tweed organized the city’s first Department of Public Parks and transformed the former Washington Military Parade Ground into a park. The designers put in charge, Ignaz Pilate and Montgomery Kellogg, had both worked with Frederick Law Olmstead on Central Park.
