How the Squares Along NYC’s Broadway Got Their Names

11. Verdi Square 

Verdi Square, at 72nd Street and Broadway, was dedicated to the 19th-century Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, whose operas include Aida, La Traviata, Otello, and Rigoletto. His monument was created as part of a movement to recognize prominent Italians in America. His statue, so situated to permit the composer a view of Lincoln Center, now graces the site in all four seasons.