Hudson Square gets a colorful pedestrian plaza
Photos courtesy of Hudson Square BID
A new pedestrian plaza officially opened in Hudson Square last week, adding 6,500 square feet of car-free space to the Manhattan neighborhood. Painted with a rainbow mural, the colorful plaza runs between Little Sixth and Dominick Street and expands the adjacent Spring Street Park. The roadway features seating, tables, free WiFi, and space for community programming. Designed by Hudson Square Business Improvement District with the city’s Department of Transportation, the plaza was funded through a $744,000 NY Forward state grant awarded in 2024.
The street mural, installed in June ahead of the plaza’s upgrades, was designed by artist Dasic Fernández. Titled “Urban Flow,” the mural features an evolving network of colorful bands that expand and contract to represent patterns of circulation and gathering.
New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley and other officials celebrated the plaza’s opening with a ribbon cutting earlier this week.
“Hudson Square is a beloved neighborhood in the heart of New York City, and this new plaza gives the people who live, work and visit there a vibrant place to gather, connect, and enjoy the community,” Mosley said. “Through the NY Forward program, New York State was able to help make this project a reality and bring new energy and excitement to the neighborhood.”
The roughly 33-square-block neighborhood on Manhattan’s Lower West Side is primarily commercial, with more than 12 million square feet of office space. Due to its industrial history, the area’s streets are better suited to moving goods and vehicles than pedestrians.
Additionally, Hudson Square has historically been disconnected from adjacent neighborhoods like Soho, Tribeca, and the West Village.
However, efforts are underway to change that, as the area has seen an influx of residential development in recent years. To help spur investment in neighborhoods like Hudson Square, Gov. Kathy Hochul established the NY Forward grant program in 2022. In 2024, Hudson Square was selected as a winner during the program’s second round.
In January, development firm Avdoo closed on $63 million in financing for 68 King Street, where it plans to build a 200,000-square-foot luxury residential building.
A month earlier, the city selected a development team to build its first-ever combination affordable housing and recreation center on a vacant, city-owned parking lot at 388 Hudson Street, following a request for proposals issued the previous February.
To accommodate the growing residential population, there has also been increased investment in upgrading public spaces. At the southern edge of the 388 Hudson site, the city is moving forward with Hudson-Houston Plaza, a new 0.26-acre open space.
“Great neighborhoods need great public spaces,” Hope Knight, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development, said. “Hudson Square Plaza builds on the neighborhood’s remarkable transformation by creating a welcoming new destination that connects people to local businesses, institutions and one another.”
“Through NY Forward, we are investing in the places and amenities that strengthen communities and help NYC neighborhoods continue to grow and thrive,” she added.
In addition to Hudson Square Plaza, the NY Forward grant is also funding several other projects in the neighborhood. These include the installation of a new eight-foot-tall bronze sculpture of Jackie Robinson at the Jackie Robinson Museum, the renovation of the NYC Fire Museum’s third-floor event space, and lighting upgrades throughout the Film Forum.
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