Albert Capsouto Park (formerly CaVaLa Park) is a triangular-shaped pocket park in the Tribeca neighborhood of

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

in New York City. It is bounded by Canal Street to the northeast, Varick Street to the west, and Laight Street to the south. It is located just east of the Holland Tunnel exit plaza, formerly known as

St. John's Park St. John's Park was a 19th-century park and square, and the neighborhood of townhouses around it, in what is now the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The square was bounded by Varick Street, Laight Street, Hudson Str ...

. Ground was broken on the park in September 2008. Opened in November 2009, the park cost approximately $3.4 million to build. Formerly, the site was a parking lot. Following September 11, 2001, the lot was used as a staging area for

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

operations. In the following weeks members of the public placed flowers, cards and letters at the site, as it was one of the closest points to the former World Trade Center which was accessible. The park features a 114-foot fountain designed by local artist Elyn Zimmerman which refers to the canal which formerly ran along the path of Canal Street. In 2007 the design concept was recognized for Excellence in Design by the

New York City Public Design Commission The New York City Public Design Commission, known legally as the Art Commission, is the agency of the New York City government that reviews permanent works of architecture, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over city-owned property. T ...

. The original name, CaVaLa, referred to the streets surrounding the park ("Canal-Varick-Laight"), and was described by one nearby resident as "kitschy". A few months after it opened, a movement was started to rename the park after Tribeca

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...

and community activist Albert CapsoutoShapiro, Julie
"Albert Capsouto, pioneering Tribeca restaurateur, 53"
'' AMNY.com'', February 2, 2010. Retrieved 2021-11-30. who had recently died. Capsouto had been a member of CB1 for twenty years before his death, and was frequently seen riding his bicycle around Tribeca. The name was officially adopted in 2010.

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External links

* {{Tribeca, Manhattan Parks in Manhattan Tribeca Pocket parks Protected areas established in 2009 2009 establishments in New York City