9. Washington Square Park Was Once Open to Cars
Like Times Square, Washington Square Park was once open to cars. It’s pedestrianization was the result of the seven year battle between Robert Moses and the community. Shirley Hayes, of the Washington Square Park committee (she was highlighted by Jane Jacobs in The Death and Life of Great American Cities), proposed a conversion of roadway to parkland in her “Save the Square!” campaign. Here’s another photograph, with the park basically looking like a parking lot:
