McKenna Square is a 0.24-acre public green space in the
Washington Heights neighborhood of
Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan is the most northern region of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary has been variously defined, but some of the most common usages are 96th Street, the northern boundary of Central Park (110th Street), ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The park is located in a median of West 165th Street, between
Audubon
The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such org ...
and
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
Avenues. The triangular site was created in 1917 in conjunction of the widening of West 165th Street and was transferred to Parks in 1937.
The site was named for Private William McKenna by the city’s
Board of Aldermen on July 8, 1924. McKenna lived with his family West 173rd Street near Audubon Avenue. He was a member of an anti-aircraft battalion in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and killed in action in the
Battle of the Argonne Forest
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, near Reciecourt,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in 1918.
Prior to its use as a park, the northern side of the triangle was Croton Street, a roadway predating
Manhattan’s street grid.
Although the origin of the street’s name is unclear, across the city, the name evokes the
Croton Aqueduct
The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842. The great aqueducts, which were among the first in the United States, carried water by gravity fro ...
, which brought clean drinking water to the city in 1842, piped from the
New Croton Reservoir
The New Croton Reservoir is a reservoir in Westchester County, New York, part of the New York City water supply system lying approximately north of New York City. It is the collecting point for water from all reservoirs in the Croton Watershed.
...
in
Westchester County
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
. The street contained workers’ cottages populated by
Irish immigrants
The Irish diaspora ( ga, Diaspóra na nGael) refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland.
The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner and Meeder, The ...
into the early 20th century. Croton Street’s use as an address was discontinued soon after the triangle was created and it became the north side of West 165th Street.
The park was redeveloped in 1985 by the city
Department of Housing Preservation and Development
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for developing and maintaining the city's stock of affordable housing. Its regulations are compiled in title 28 of the ''N ...
(HPD), and includes a central raised pavilion of steel, stone, and glass block. The park has rose-colored granite pavers indicating a winding path and London plane trees.
References
External links
McKenna Square—
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolog ...
{{Coord, 40.838431, -73.939318, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title
Parks in Manhattan
Washington Heights, Manhattan