Artvoice Daily

Buffalo isn’t alone when it comes to blunders. I got an email from my best friend in NYC yesterday who was walking through Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. “You’re not going to believe this,” he said. The fountain is gone.” He’s right, I couldn’t believe it. Then he sent me photos. Going against a sea of public outcry and court challenges the city went in and tore out one of NY’s most iconic images, the fountain at this park. The fountain had served as a gathering place for decades for kids to splash, residents to cool off and where folk singers from Pete Seeger to Bob Dylan, Peter Paul & Mary and thousands of others came to jam. A sad day, indeed. They say they’re going to replace it with a smaller fountain moved somewhere else in the park. Was this really necessary?

PHOTOS: The old fountain, followed by bulldozers queing up for the kill. And then, all gone! Residents held a candlelight funeral and many commented that this was the fastest demolition they’d ever witnessed.