Election Day 2008

For those of us lucky enough to live in the East Village, one of our polling places for the election tomorrow is Cooper Union.

.

Take a moment to realize the full circle of history that will come to fruition for this particular, very special location.

.

Tomorrow, some of us will help to elect the nation's first Black president at the very location where the NAACP was organized in 1909. The election will occur just a few months short of the 100th Anniversary of that founding. Think about that tomorrow when the line is long and things might seem a little unorganized, it's a very special moment indeed, and well worth the wait.

Gateway to the East Village

Washington Square Park

One of the most famous landmarks in the East/West Village is Washington Square Park. The Park was farmland until 1797 when the Common Council of New York purchased the land to use as a public burial ground. The cemetery was closed in 1825, but not before 20,000 people were laid to rest there, including several thousand that died during Yellow Fever epidemics of the early 1800's.
.
In 1826 Washington Square became a military parade ground, and finally in 1949-50, the military ground was turned into a public city park.
.
A wood and plaster arch was first erected in 1889 to celebrate the centennial of George Washington's inauguration as U.S. President. The Memorial Arch proved to be so popular that a permanent marble arch, designed by famous architect Stanford White, was built in 1892. White modeled the arch after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The two statues of George Washington were added to the arch in 1918.
.
Washington Square Park was most famously featured in Neil Simon's 1963 Broadway play, "Barefoot in the Park", and in the 1967 film of the same name, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. At the end of the movie, the Park is seen for the first time as the setting for Paul Bratter's (Redford) drunken antics. More recently, one of the Greek Revival houses on the North side of the Park was featured as the residence of Will Smith's character in 2007's "I Am Legend". The Park is also featured in "When Harry Met Sally", "Seaching for Bobby Fischer", and in "Deep Impact" the Arch is swept away by a tsunami.

.

Other popular starring roles for Washington Square include William S. Burroughs' "Naked Lunch", Henry James' "Washington Square" and Joan Baez's 1975 hit song, "Diamonds and Rust".

.

In September 2007, presidential candidate Barack Obama held a campaign rally in the Park attracting 20,000 people.