Hudson Square Connection, the Business Improvement District, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had its first grand opening of the new public,Freeman Plaza West, on Thursday morning.
Hudson Square Connection welcomed the community with free food and refreshments provided by EETnow and King Kava. To kick up the party, there was entertainment by the dynamic group, Xylopholk. The group played 1920s ragtime music and appeared in furry animal costumes. The spaced was filled with people that lived around the neighborhood and workers who were on their lunch breaks.
Freeman Plaza West is located near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, between the intersections of Hudson, Broome, and Watts Streets. It was previously closed to the public, but now converted into a new hangout area for fellow workers and community to enjoy. The Hudson Square Connection invested about $200,000 in order to accommodate the community. The public place includes furnished tables, green umbrellas, and chairs.
Not only was this area dedicated to accommodate the community as well as a memorial for the people who lost their lives on September 11. Seventeen trees were planted along the side of the plaza. Four of the trees were dedicated to four members of the the PAPD’s Holland Tunnel Command and the fifth tree was dedicated to other victims that lost their lives on September 11 and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Ellen Baer, president of the Hudson Square Connection, wanted to bring an open space for people to visit and be free. With thousands of people coming by everyday, it was time that people had a place where they can enjoy themselves. She hopes to lease other lots to make future parks such as this one. “One thing at a time,” she stated.
Leahann Plowski, a neighborhood resident, was doing her daily morning walks when she encountered the event. “With so many businesses and the rush, we all need a place where we can just relax and enjoy the outdoors,” she said. As a regular who has walked past this lot for the past few years, she is glad to see the transformation of what was once dominated by trucks to an open space where one can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Freeman Plaza West will be opened on weekdays between 8:00 am until dusk. This will have Lower East Side businesses come together. If all goes well, Baer and her team will continue to scout more locations and provide new parks for people around this area. Hudson Square Connection is on the rise of beautifying and enlivening the streets.
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