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Sherman Square is apocket park bounded byBroadway,Amsterdam Avenue, and West 70th Street on theUpper West Side ofManhattan, inNew York City. It was named in 1891 forWilliam Tecumseh Sherman who lived in the area and died that year.[1]
The park name is used to describe the neighborhood surrounding the entrances to the72nd Street station, which are on traffic islands where Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue cross.[2]
The Sherman Square area, and its much bigger neighborVerdi Square, on the north side of 72nd, were dubbed “Needle Park” in the 1960s and 1970s because of illicit drug activity. This provided the title and general setting for the 1966 book byJames Mills and its 1971 film adaptationThe Panic in Needle Park, directed byJerry Schatzberg and starringAl Pacino in his second role.[3][4]
The fenced-in portion of Sherman Square protecting its vegetation is only 264 sq ft (24.5 m2) and is actually ascalene triangle. It is on a paved, much larger triangle. The fenced area has 17 ft (5.2 m) facing 70th Street, 35 ft (11 m) facing Broadway, and 30 ft (9.1 m) facing Amsterdam.
The name of squares for triangular pieces of land reflected the originalCommissioners' Plan of 1811 which called for the area to be built according to a master grid. New York City acquired the land by condemnation in 1849 when Broadway was beingbuilt through the area at an angle and was not on the grid. Other parcels of land on Broadway that have the square name but are irregular pieces of land includeHerald Square andTimes Square.[1]
The park’s size diminished in 1869 when 70th Street was built.
40°46′38″N73°58′56″W / 40.77722°N 73.98222°W /40.77722; -73.98222
