Stuyvesant Square

Stuyvesant Square

One of the most overlooked and beautiful parks in all of Manhattan, Stuyvesant Square is named after “Old Silver Nails”, the last Dutch governor of New York. Peter Stuyvesant, with his famous gruff attitude and peg leg, possessed a vast amount of acreage within the island of Manhattan, including a large mansion house near what is now Stuyvesant Square. Stuyvesant Square represented a small portion of his “bouwerie” or farm, which was wonderfully adorned with lush trees. Stuyvesant’s descendants inherited the large parcel of land, and held it for many years until his great-great grandson sold it to New York City. Stuyvesant Square contains a delightful fountain and two notable statues. One of the statues, a representation of Peter Stuyvesant, was sculpted by the patron of the arts and heiress Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Another statue depicts the Czech composer Anton Dvorak.