Judson Memorial Church & The Politics of The Park Construction

Examining Community Space and Analyzing the Effects of Construction on Washington Square Park

Visiting the Judson Memorial Church was an inspiring and insightful experience that illuminated the significance of community minded religious institutions in New York City. Our guest speakers from Judson Memorial Church were instructive about how the Judson Memorial Church community has actively sought to advance discussion about the social and environmental influences of construction in Washington Square Park and the greater Greenwich Village community. Judson memorial Church was founded by Edward Judson who was a distinguished preacher in the Churches’ earliest days. Supported by the backing of John D. Rockefeller and other prominent Baptists, Judson was able to choose Washington Square Park as the central location of the Church which was originally intended to serve the greater Italian American community. Our guest speakers at Judson explained that the Churches’ current mission is self described as being devoted to social outreach and to establish programs that are designed to help those in need. Research on Judson Memorial Church revealed that it’s mission to educate the general public about regional and global social issues that affect the greater Greenwhich Village community was important and necessary. For example, in the 1980’s The Judson Memorial Church sponsored various political theatre performances by renowned social activists like the Vermont-based Bread and Puppet Theatre Group. These performances included an Insurrection Opera and Oratorio that were performed in February and March of 1984. In this performance, the Bread and Puppet Theatre, under the direction of founder, Peter Schumann, used opera as a vehicle by which the company’s signature oversized puppets conveyed an anti-nuclear message. The Judson Memorial Church is located on the south side of Washington Square. The church structure was designed by the prominent architect Stanford White while its stained glass is credited to master glass designer and maker John La Farge. Our guides at the Judson Memorial Church raised important questions about the political motivations and social ramifications of the ongoing construction in Washington Square Park. The discussion focused on the churches’ role as an equal opportunity, communal gathering space and the perception that this role is being threatened by the increasing gentrification and redlining of the park due to the construction. My hope is that, as a result of the awareness that the Church is promoting, the construction will somehow physically cause a beneficial change without tainting the equality and diversity of the Washington Square Community.