Streetscape and Beautification
The Lincoln Square BID’s Streetscape and Beautification Program is one of the most visible and successful efforts for neighborhood improvement undertaken by our organization. When the BID was established in 1996, we immediately identified the enhancement of the district’s public spaces, especially its ten Broadway Malls, as a key objective.
The medians along Broadway were once barren and untidy; today our Broadway Malls are lush urban gardens comprised of evergreens, many different shrubs, groundcovers and beautiful blooms. For color and texture, the BID works with a long-time garden designer to select seasonal blossoms—daffodils and tulips in the spring, and caladiums, petunias, Algerian ivy and zinnias in the summer—and our contracted landscaping company performs bi-monthly maintenance as needed. During the holiday season, the district sparkles with the addition of festive lights adorning the Malls’ trees– generously made possible by Con Edison and Gracious Home. Several years ago, with a generous donation from the former Mayflower Hotel, a founding member of the BID, and help from the Parks Department, we installed 32 lovely new world's fair benches in the ten malls in Lincoln Square. In 2002, we received a New York City Neighborhood Development Award from Mayor Bloomberg for our Broadway Malls Beautification Program.
Throughout the year, the BID hires a crew from a wonderful Upper West Side social service organization, Goddard Riverside Community Center, to keep the Broadway Malls in the district weed- and litter-free daily – supplementing the efforts our Clean Team. Thanks to the combined efforts and hard work of our crews, Lincoln Square’s malls look sensational!
The BID has also made great strides in making our local parks more beautiful and inviting. With early funding from the Greenacre Foundation, coupled with significant and ongoing support from the family of the famous American tenor, Richard Tucker, the BID has transformed Richard Tucker Park at 66th Street and Broadway into a welcoming and user-friendly spot for the public, as well as a respite for Greenmarket farmers who sell their produce there on Thursdays and Saturdays. One example of our many improvements to Tucker Park is the introduction of twelve plant-filled containers and moveable bistro-style tables and chairs. (We also added colorful planters and moveable chairs to Dante Park, another small oasis in the district across from Lincoln Center, and we continue to increase and upgrade planters and moveable tables and chairs in both locations on a regular basis). The results are obvious--walk through either park on a warm afternoon and you’re bound to see workers enjoying lunch in the sunshine, shoppers and tourists taking a moment of respite, students from one the many nearby schools tapping away on their laptop, or passersby gathering to hear free music from the BID’s new summer concert series.
Recently, we helped bring two magnificent sculptures made of twisted and curved steel by artist Carol Eisner to Dante Park and the Broadway Mall at 67th and Broadway. Additionally, the Tucker family donated funds for a way-finding map kiosk in Richard Tucker Park, while a grant from the Manhattan Borough President’s Borough Needs Program funded a similar kiosk in Dante Park. Both kiosks were installed and feature the history of the parks, including historic photos, a map of the neighborhood and subway and bus maps.
In addition to the Greenacre Foundation and the Tucker family, the Lincoln Square BID works collaboratively with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and The Broadway Mall Association to enhance and maintain the malls and the small parks located within the district. We’re grateful to our partners for their dedication and support.
You can help us plant glorious flowers, maintain shrubs and trees, and keep Lincoln Square blooming all year round by supporting our beautification efforts with a corporate sponsorship or an individual tax-deductible gift. Please visit here for more information or call the office at 212.581.3774.
