The Court docket Sq. Park fountain is eliminated as a part of deliberate renovation work. Photograph courtesy of Iztvan Ritz.
Could 9, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
The Parks Division has eliminated a fountain in Court docket Sq. Park as a part of deliberate renovation work, only one week after lots of of native residents signed a petition calling for its preservation.
The fountain was eliminated on Thursday as a part of a deliberate $4 million improvement first outlined in 2019. The upgrades, which have been permitted by Neighborhood Board 2 following a neighborhood enter assembly in June 2020, included plans to interchange the fountain, which has lengthy been the centerpiece of the park, with a brand new central garden.
The redevelopment plan additionally features a new interactive spray space, together with added seating, recreation tables and expanded plantings. Renovation work started in February and is scheduled to be accomplished by February 2026.
Greater than 500 native residents had signed an internet petition calling for the fountain to be preserved within the deliberate upgrades to the park, describing the construction as a “defining feature” of Court docket Sq. Park. Petitioners additionally mentioned the fountain “complements” the historic Lengthy Island Metropolis court docket home positioned at 25-10 Court docket Sq..
Council Member Julie Gained confirmed in a publish on social media that the fountain was faraway from the park on Thursday, Could 8, stating that her workplace was not supplied with a warning from the Parks Division.
Nevertheless, Gained mentioned she respects the Parks Division’s resolution and famous that the fountain would value hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to restore or exchange whereas additionally delaying the reopening of the park by as much as 5 years.
“Although we mourn the loss of the fountain, we respect the decision the Parks Department ultimately made,” Gained mentioned in a press release. “We cannot keep this park closed for longer than it already is to redo a process that legally fulfilled its requirements already and was approved by the community board.”
Gained additionally famous that the Landmards Preservations Fee (LPC) decided that the fountain was solely put in within the Nineteen Eighties and located that its removing will eradicate a “modern furnishing.” LPC moreover decided that the fountain “partially obscures” views of the historic courthouse.
The fountain has additionally not been operational for a while, Gained added.
She mentioned vital public funds have already been allotted to the Court docket Sq. Park challenge, including that the capital challenge is “so far along” that it’s unlikely that there shall be any adjustments to design or building.
NYC Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Jacqueline Langsam mentioned in a press release previous to the fountain’s removing that the construction was put in in 1989 and has lately skilled “significant deterioration.”
“We look forward to Court Square Park’s reconstruction as a family-friendly attraction with more usable space,” Langsam additionally famous.
The Court docket Sq. Park fountain previous to it being taken down. By way of Getty Photos
Nevertheless, advocates for preserving the fountain argued that the fountain doesn’t must be repaired or operational. They contended that the construction may have been repurposed as a flower mattress with a view to protect its “historic” presence within the space.
“Now that repairs are needed, their solution is to remove it. Residents aren’t asking for the fountain to be repaired — we’re demanding that it stays in place,” mentioned one petitioner, who requested to stay nameless.
Istvan Ritz, who signed the petition, additionally produced images of the courthouse from the early 1900s, which seem to point out one other fountain in entrance of the historic constructing. He argued that historic images of the courthouse showcase {that a} fountain has virtually all the time stood earlier than it, even when the present fountain was solely put in throughout the Nineteen Eighties.
Ritz, in the meantime, mentioned the fountain would assist retain the character and historic appeal of the world.
“We really need to preserve that,” Ritz mentioned. “We don’t want another grassy area with sprinklers… We have to preserve what we have.”
Ritz additionally acknowledged that the CB2 enter conferences have been held throughout the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and contended that the neighborhood’s make-up has modified drastically since then. Ritz mentioned many individuals have moved to the neighborhood over the previous 5 years and wouldn’t have attended an enter assembly held lengthy earlier than they moved to the world.
Frank Wu, president of the Court docket Sq. Civic Affiliation, advised the LIC Publish in 2020 that the lack of the fountain acquired a combined reception, with many individuals stating that the fountain provides character and historical past to the world. Nevertheless, Wu additionally acknowledged that many residents, significantly these with younger youngsters, favored eradicating the fountain as a result of a garden would supply extra room for kids to play and more room for occasions resembling pop-up markets.
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