Verdi Square facts for kids

Verdi Square is a small, triangle-shaped park located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. It sits between 72nd Street to the south, 73rd Street to the north, Broadway to the west, and Amsterdam Avenue to the east. Just south of the square, across 72nd Street, is another park called Sherman Square. To the north, the park faces the main building of the Apple Bank for Savings.

This special square has been named an official city "scenic landmark" by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. This means it's a protected place because of its beauty and historical importance.

Discover the Verdi Monument

In the middle of Verdi Square, you'll find a grand monument dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi. He was a very famous opera composer from Italy. This monument was built in 1906.

At the very top of the monument is a statue of Verdi himself, created by an artist named Pasquale Civiletti. Below him, on the base of the monument, are statues of four characters from his most famous operas:

• Falstaff on the west side.
• Leonora from La forza del destino on the south side.
• Aida on the north side.
• Otello (opera)|Otello on the east side.

Around the statue, beautiful flowers bloom in the spring and summer, thanks to a special garden design from 2004.

Explore the Subway Station

The original entrance building for the 72nd Street subway station, just south of Verdi Square.

Right underneath Verdi Square is the 72nd Street subway station. Trains on the New York City Subway's 1 2 3 trains line stop here.

There's a special building called a "head house" inside Verdi Square that gives you access to the subway station. This head house was built in 2002. Just south of the square, you can see an older head house. It was built in 1904 and is one of the very few original subway entrance buildings left from that time.

A Musical History

Verdi Square, showing the sculpture of Giuseppe Verdi.

This bronze lamp post, called a luminaire, was moved to Verdi Square in 2004.

In 2006, some music lovers from the Upper West Side teamed up with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. They started the annual Verdi Square Festival of the Arts.

This festival is a series of three free outdoor concerts held on Sunday afternoons in September. Young musicians perform all kinds of music, from opera to bluegrass. The festival brings music back to a place where famous musicians like Caruso, Chaliapin, Toscanini, and the Gershwin brothers used to visit.

See also

In Spanish: Verdi Square para niños