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Public Square (Watertown, New York)
Encyclopedia
Public Square is an open mall that lies in the center of Watertown, New York. The square is listed as Public Square Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places
. The district encompasses 58 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, and 3 contributing objects.
The square is rectangular in shape. Buildings line all four sides of the square, while a large oval park sits in its center. A one-way traffic pattern circles the park. Seven of Watertown's main streets (including U.S. Route 11, New York State Route 3
, New York State Route 12
, and New York State Route 283
) intersect at the square, making it a heavy traffic destination for motorists.
While the square boasts some modern architecture, its main character is defined by the numerous 19th and early 20th century buildings that still stand. Throughout its buildings, the square is host to a multitude of shops, restaurants, business offices, churches and apartment houses, making it a major shopping and business destination in the city.
Watertown's first settlers built their homesteads on what is now the square's West End in 1800. In 1805, several settlers donated land for public use which became the basis of the square. This helped to develop the square as Watertown's main business district. The current layout of the square and its surrounding streets developed in those early years.
In 1849, most of Public Square and buildings on three adjacent streets were destroyed by fire. The square was immediately rebuilt. Several buildings erected during the rebuilding still stand. In the rebuilding of the 1850s, the city created three parks at the square's center, with a fountain inside the center park. During Watertown's industrial boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Public Square became the heart of Watertown's retail, business and social life. In the 1950s, the three parks in the square's center were combined into one large park.
The square's retail and business dominance started declining in the latter half of the 20th century. Urban renewal policies during the 1960s and 1970s resulted in the demolition of some of the square's historic structures. Declining industry hurt Watertown's once prospering economy. Although nearby Fort Drum, New York expanded in the 1980s and brought growth to the Watertown, modern shopping malls and retail chains built on the city's west side drew business away from the square. Public Square's days as the city's main retail destination were at an end. The square continued its slow decline over the next 20 years.
The beginning of the 21st century saw a reversal in attitudes towards Public Square. With a resurgence of pride in the square and its role in Watertown's history, civic and business leaders have taken a strong role in its redevelopment. Existing buildings were refurbished and new businesses moved in. Some decaying structures beyond repair were demolished. In 2006, the new economic development was coupled with a multi-million dollar streetscape project to reinforce the square's infrastructure, as well as beautify its roads, walkways and landscaping. This project was completed in November, 2008.
Public Square has been the site of many notable people, buildings and inventions.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The district encompasses 58 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, and 3 contributing objects.
Description
New York State Route 3
New York State Route 3 is a major east–west state highway in New York, United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canadian border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for between its western terminus at an intersection with NY 104A in the Cayuga...
, New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12
New York State Route 12 is a state highway extending for through central and northern New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in the town of Chenango in the Southern Tier. The northern terminus is at NY 37 near the village of...
, and New York State Route 283
New York State Route 283
New York State Route 283 is a east–west state highway in Jefferson County, New York, in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 , NY 3, and NY 12 in downtown Watertown. Its eastern terminus is at a junction with...
) intersect at the square, making it a heavy traffic destination for motorists.
While the square boasts some modern architecture, its main character is defined by the numerous 19th and early 20th century buildings that still stand. Throughout its buildings, the square is host to a multitude of shops, restaurants, business offices, churches and apartment houses, making it a major shopping and business destination in the city.
History
In 1849, most of Public Square and buildings on three adjacent streets were destroyed by fire. The square was immediately rebuilt. Several buildings erected during the rebuilding still stand. In the rebuilding of the 1850s, the city created three parks at the square's center, with a fountain inside the center park. During Watertown's industrial boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Public Square became the heart of Watertown's retail, business and social life. In the 1950s, the three parks in the square's center were combined into one large park.
The square's retail and business dominance started declining in the latter half of the 20th century. Urban renewal policies during the 1960s and 1970s resulted in the demolition of some of the square's historic structures. Declining industry hurt Watertown's once prospering economy. Although nearby Fort Drum, New York expanded in the 1980s and brought growth to the Watertown, modern shopping malls and retail chains built on the city's west side drew business away from the square. Public Square's days as the city's main retail destination were at an end. The square continued its slow decline over the next 20 years.
Today
Public Square notables
- Noted sculptor Augustus Saint-GaudensAugustus Saint-GaudensAugustus Saint-Gaudens was the Irish-born American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the "American Renaissance"...
designed the monument to New York Governor Roswell P. FlowerRoswell P. FlowerRoswell Pettibone Flower was Governor of New York from 1892 to 1894.-Biography:He was a son of Nathan Monroe Flower and Mary Ann Flower, the sixth of nine children....
in 1902. It is the visual focal point of lower Washington Street.
- Public Square is home to the Paddock ArcadePaddock arcadeThe Paddock Arcade is a 19th century shopping mall located in Watertown, New York. Built in 1850, it is the second oldest covered shopping mall in the United States. Since it has seen uninterrupted use since it opened in 1850, it carries the distinction of being the country's oldest, continuously...
. Built in 1850, the Arcade boasts to be the oldest continuously operating covered mall in the United States. It is a National Historic Landmark.
- Abolitionist Frederick DouglassFrederick DouglassFrederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
spoke at Washington Hall and was a guest at the square's renowned Woodruff Hotel in the 1850s. He is noted for insisting on using the front entrance and eating in the hotel's public dining room. Worried about local prejudices, the hotel managers had wanted him to use a rear entrance and stay away from the public areas.
- Frank W. Woolworth worked as a clerk in Smith and Moore's department store on Public Square in the 1870s. He came up with the idea to set up a table of discount merchandise and fix the price of the items at five and ten cents apiece. So successful were the sales that he was inspired to start his own store based on the same idea. He opened his first store in Utica, NY, starting the Woolworths chain of department stores.
- Julius SämannJulius SämannJulius Sämann was a perfumist and chemist who invented many everyday items, including Little Trees pine-tree-shaped air fresheners in Watertown, New York in 1952.-References:*...
invented the Little TreesLittle TreesLittle Trees are disposable air fresheners in the shape of a stylized evergreen tree, marketed for use in cars. They are made of a material very similar to beer coasters and are produced in a variety of colours and scents...
car air freshener in the Electric Building on Public Square in the 1950s. These car air fresheners, the little pine trees that hang from an automobile's rearview mirror, are now world famous. Car Freshner Corporation maintains its corporate headquarters and a manufacturing plant in Watertown, while it has expanded to include factories in several other cities around the United States.
See also
- Watertown, New York
- Paddock ArcadePaddock arcadeThe Paddock Arcade is a 19th century shopping mall located in Watertown, New York. Built in 1850, it is the second oldest covered shopping mall in the United States. Since it has seen uninterrupted use since it opened in 1850, it carries the distinction of being the country's oldest, continuously...
- Town squareTown squareA town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
- F. W. Woolworth Building (Watertown, New York)F. W. Woolworth Building (Watertown, New York)The Woolworth Building is an historic building in Watertown, New York. It is a contributing building in the Public Square Historic District. Plans for the Woolworth Building were begun in 1916 by Frank W. Woolworth, the founder of the Woolworth's chain of department stores. -History:Woolworth...
External links
- 125 Washington Street (Commercial Building), Watertown, Jefferson, NY: 1 photo, 1 data pages, and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Building Survey
- City of Watertown Official Website
- Watertown Downtown Business Association
- Jefferson County & Watertown wiki