Steven Smith

The main attraction of Union Square Park is the equestrian statue of George Washington that greats you as you enter the park from 14th Street. It commemorates Evacuation Day, the day that British troops left the island of Manhattan after the conclusion of the American Revolution. On November 25, 1783, the British departed and George Washington triumphantly led the Continental Army down through Manhattan to the Battery. Dedicated in 1856, this statue is the oldest sculpture in the New York City Parks collection. The statue originally stood in a traffic island in the middle of 14th Street until it was moved to its present location in 1930.