.05 acre

oldest breweries, the parish quickly became an influential part of the neighborhood. Dedicated to serving the poor and indigent of their community, the priests of St. James also often cared for cholera patients stranded aboard nearby quarantined vessels; several priests contracted the disease and died shortly after their patients. During the Civil War, the priests of St. James blessed the regimental colors of the Fighting 69th and, around the same time, championed the cause of Catholic temperance in a bid to end local alcohol abuse, ignoring the critical attitudes and admonitions of contemporary Protestant reformers.
In March 1961, Bernard Baruch (1870-1965), A Polish immigrant, successful New York financier, and donator of several large grants to New York City's ongoing development and restoration projects, gave $30,000 to Parks for the creation of this sitting area. Adjoining the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Cemetery, one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries (1682) in the United States, the site's previous structures, a parking garage and tenement, were rapidly demolished and replaced with benches and greenery. A bronze plaque was placed on a nearby wall in 1965 to commemorate Bernard Baruch's efforts on behalf of one of New York City's oldest neighborhoods. Renovations occurred in 2000, including sidewalk repaving and other site improvements, with $47,617 allocated by Mayor Giuliani.
City of New York Parks and Recreation
Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mayor
Henry J. Stern, Commissioner
October 2001
www.nyc.gov/parks

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Hall of St. James' School
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Lin Ze Xu
Americans of Chinese Ancestry
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Roll of Honor, a War Memorial
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