The reason why the title of this article is Revisiting Stonewall National Monument in New York is because I have been there before when it was originally called Christopher Street Park when it was part of the Department of Parks and Recreation of the City of New York.
Revisiting Stonewall National Monument in New York.
Across Seventh Avenue South from the Hess Triangle is a small narrow triangular patch of land called Stonewall National Monument, which is the first national monument in the United States that is dedicated to the rights and history of people who consider themselves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer — who are more popularly known as part of the LGBTQ community.
One might initially confuse the name of this national monument to that of Stonewall Jackson, who was a military officer and general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War of the United States — but the name is actually derived from the riots that occurred at the Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street after police officers conducted a raid on the bar during the early morning hours of Saturday, June 28, 1969 in the quirky Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York.
After the rioting ended five days later, the Stonewall Inn became a tourist attraction and an important symbol of the LGBTQ movement.
Stonewall National Monument is the newest part of the National Park Service that is located in New York — as well as the first LGBTQ cultural site designated as both a National Historic Landmark and a designated landmark in the city of New York due in part to its impact on LGBTQ culture over the years. Stonewall Inn — which is across the street from the park — is also part of Stonewall National Monument.
The statue of Philip Henry Sheridan — who was a general for the Union Army in the Civil War of the United States — was erected in 1936 and still stands today in the eastern end of the park.
My Past Experience at the Park
The class in which I was a student during my sophomore year at Parsons School of Design was given an assignment. I do not remember the full scope of the assignment; but earning a grade of A from the instructor who taught that class was incredibly difficult. Prior to this assignment, everyone worked on another assignment for several weeks and he severely criticized all of their work — including mine — and gave everyone poor to middling grades as a result…
…so out of sheer frustration, I walked down to Christopher Street Park with my box of colored pencils, colored markers, a drawing pen filled with black ink, and my large pad of drawing paper to sit down on a park bench and create what you see above: a visual collage of what I observed that late afternoon.
I scribbled away and completed the drawing in less than 45 minutes — and to me, it looks like it. I just wanted to quickly get this assignment done and move on.
The grade that I received from the instructor for this assignment: A.
I am dumbfounded to this day — but other people seem to like this work of art; so what do I know?
Final Boarding Call
The temperature was seven degrees Fahrenheit when I walked from Times Square to this part of Greenwich Village earlier this year; so I did not take a full suite of photographs due to the freezing cold air…
…but visiting Stonewall National Monument brought back some memories for me.
Stonewall National Monument
38-64 Christopher Street
New York, New York 10014
212-668-2577
Admission to Stonewall National Monument is free, as no admission fee is charged.
Operating Hours
- 7:00 in the morning through 5:00 in the afternoon between November 1 and April 30
- 7:00 in the morning through 8:00 in the evening between May 1 and October 31
The park is protected by a surrounding fence and a locked gate when it is closed.
The 1 train stops at all times at the Christopher Street – Stonewall Station, which is conveniently at the park. The West 4 Street – Washington Square station is only a couple of blocks away if you take the A, B, C, D, E, F, and M trains instead. The site is also accessible by both the M8 bus or M20 bus on Seventh Avenue South.
Metered parking is available on some nearby streets; and street parking is free of charge on some nearby streets such as Waverly Place — but keep in mind that street parking is severely limited and that you will need to pay a congestion pricing surcharge when entering the lower half of Manhattan by motor vehicle.
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
