Civic Center, Pearl Street Between Madison Street and St. James Place

Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………xxxxxx…......……………….. click to enlarge


This is James Madison Plaza and I assume it looks more inviting when the weather is nicer.

The Parks Department entry for the Plaza consists mainly of information about James Madison, our fourth President, so one would assume that the Plaza was named for him. So it is strange that they claim it is named for the combination of the names of two of the streets that bound it: Madison Street and St. James Place. St. James Place is named for a nearby Catholic church. 









Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….. click to enlarge


Right across the street from the Plaza is one of the most reviled buildings in Manhattan - the Verizon building.  To call it one of the ugliest buildings in Manhattan is surely wrong, but it's just too damn big.  It towers over the Brooklyn Bridge, diminishing the effect of the view of it and it overwhelms the neighborhood.








Mary Sargent © 2009 ………..………….. click to enlarge


Here it is in a more distant and less scary view.  This is looking at it from Pearl Street back at Park row.

See map.