AIDS Memorial Park Slated to Open in NYC

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver have officially named the city’s park honoring those lost during the AIDS epidemic. The park is currently under construction and is expected to open in October.

The monument, now dubbed the ‘New York City AIDS Memorial Park at St. Vincent’s Triangle’ is being erected in the heart of Greenwich Village, just down from the iconic Christopher Street and the hub of New York’s gay community. POZ quotes Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver as saying, “NYC AIDS Memorial Park at St. Vincent’s Triangle stands at the crossroads of the richly historical West Village.

“Here, we honor and celebrate St. Vincent’s Hospital’s more than 150 years of service to our city,” he said, “as well as the countless New Yorkers impacted by AIDS: those we have lost, those who live with H.I.V./AIDS, and those who continue to battle against fear and ignorance.”

Architect and Greenwich Village resident Stephan Jaklitsch echoed those sentiments, saying, “Along with the move to commemorate Stonewall and its nearby park as a national landmark, the NYC AIDS Memorial Park at St. Vincent’s Triangle is a critical marker of our shared history.t is appropriate that this is in our neighborhood and that the park’s name reflects both the epidemic and the location of the hospital that was so critical during the height of the AIDS epidemic in NYC.”

He added, “as a longtime resident and member of the architecture and planning community, I believe it’s essential to recognize that this area was the epicenter of the AIDS crisis, and that St Vincent’s led the healthcare community response for many years. The new name reflects both.”