Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.In 1832, the initial non-denominational all-male institution began its first classes near City Hall based on a curriculum focused on a secular education. The university, in 1833, then moved and has maintained its main campus in Greenwich Village surrounding Washington Square Park.

Formerly, Clinton Hall

New York University (NYU) founded by Gallatin

Giovanni da Verrazzano, the explorer observed "Sapohannikan" - a central gathering and farming area by the Lenape, meaning "Land of Tobacco Growth." It served as a meeting place for different Lenape groups, including Munsee and Unami speakers, who played music, traded, and held games.&nbsp;

The site later became part of Manhattan’s first free Black settlement before evolving into a potter’s field.

Eventually, converted into a military parade ground.&nbsp;

By the 19th century, it transformed into a public park, surrounded by elegant residences.

A marsh. A cemetery. A parade ground. A gathering spot for avant-garde artists. A battleground for chess enthusiasts. A playground for canines and children. Washington Square Park has served various roles for its community throughout the years, adapting to meet its needs. Well-known for its arch, honoring George Washington, the man for whom the park is named, and its fountain, the arch's elder by 43 years and a popular meeting spot, Washington Square Park also houses several other monuments and facilities.

The vertical line shows the path that would become known as Bowery Road, but was originally the same up island trail that was incorporated into Broadway. The path westward to the Hudson River became known as Sand Hill Road until it crossed Minetta Creek, and still exists past that point as Greenwich Avenue. Stokes thinks the 1644 cattle fence followed this path from Bowery to Minetta Creek. These paths connected Lenape villages, farms and hunting and fishing grounds. From Indian paths in the great metropolis by Reginald Pelham Bolton, published by the New York Museum of the American Indian and Heye Foundation.

In Manhatta, the area that would become the Manhattan Borough of New York City, the Lenape lived in multi-family dwellings, in contrast to the smaller-sized wigwams of the Philadelphia region. This engraving from the late 19th century purports to describe a scene from 16th century Manhatta.

including removing trees and breaking up the ground to prepare the soil for cultivation.Source: The Lenapes by R. S. Grumet and F. W. Porter, 1989, New York, Chelsea House.

Washington Square Park

The Bobst Pixel Veil addresses dual design challenges: the creation of a secure yet visually porous membrane that is aesthetically compatible with the atrium designed by Philip Johnson in 1968. 

The Pixel Veil consists of laser-cut aluminum panels and vertical supports painted to match the existing bronze handrail. Each laser-cut panel is inscribed with a perforated pattern - the Pixel Matrix - composed using an underlying 4” grid whose spacing aligns with the vertical stanchions of the original railings while also complying with ADA building codes. 

Responding to the surrounding context, modular perforations gradually dissolve along the atrium perimeter from south to north, becoming visually more open towards the stacks and park. At the top level, the perforated veil terminates in a glass clerestory. The Pixel Matrix builds on the affinity between the original building and the language of digital information - both rely on the logic of the square matrix. Pixel Matrix references the building’s underlying square grid that Johnson expressed in the square coffered ceiling and concentric square reading lights, as well as the language of digital information that encrypts data through bar codes composed of square modules.

Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, NYU

The Kimmel Center is a 10-story structure centrally located on Washington Square South and La Guardia Place. The top two floors are glass enclosed, allowing for sweeping views of Washington Square and lower Manhattan. The student center includes a 860-seat auditorium, 150-seat performance studio, rehearsal rooms for music and lectures, student club lounges, dining rooms, and offices. The top floor of the building features a special events hall with seating for 400.The selection of building materials for the Kimmel Center was based upon the predominant masonry materials around the square: brick and limestone. The main body of the building includes Vetter limestone from Minnesota with some details in buff Indiana limestone. Glass is used as both vision lite in the windows as well as a contemporary enclosure material at the entrances and at the roof, juxtaposed with the more stately mass of the building. The Kimmel Center was designed for continual student use and is open 18 hours a day. The glass enclosed staircase on the west side connecting the various club and meeting facilities were designed to encourage its use and increase the interaction among the students.The Skirball Center is the largest performing arts facility south of 42nd Street, and is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for NYU and lower Manhattan. Outfitted with state-of-the-art light, sound, and projection equipment, it provides a professional- level facility for concerts, film screenings, and theatrical productions showcasing the talents of NYU undergraduates and graduates. Since opening in 2003, the Center has been an educational and community building resource, providing NYU's first large-scale, professional performance space on campus. Recently, the Kimmel Center hosted Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech on foreign policy.

Helen & Martin Kimmel Center for University Life

Main campus in Greenwich Village surrounding Washington Square Park

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NYU 2031 - &nbsp;NYU's development scheme to add 1.9 million sf to Silver Towers and Washington Sq. Blocks was approved by City Planning only to be blocked in NY State Supreme Court in 2014

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