While you’re enjoying your comfortable stay at East Village Apartments, be sure to spend some quality time at Tompkins Square Park, one of New York City’s most popular destinations. The park is named for Daniel D. Tompkins (1774-1825), Vice President of the United States.

The square-shaped park is located in the East Village neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan and spreads over 10.5 acres (42,000 square miles). Like most New York landmarks, Tompkins Park also has a rich history behind it and is associated with various events, although some of them are not very positive.

On January 13, 1874, Tompkins Square witnessed a major riot as police clashed with thousands of labor protesters. This incident was a major event in the labor conflict zone. In a similar incident in 1877, around 5,000 people clashed with the National Guard as they crowded to listen to revolutionary communist speeches in this very park.

In the 1980s, Tompkins Park became the center of social problems for New Yorkers. The park was frequented by many homeless people and even became a hub for drug use and other illegal activities. This caused a riot in August 1988, when the city police attempted to rid the park of such elements.

However, during the 1990s and 2000s, Tompkins Park underwent a major facelift and witnessed a gradual gentrification of its surroundings. With its many playgrounds, basketball courts, handball courts and built-in outdoor chess tables, the park today attracts young people and decent families from all over the world.

Among the major landmarks in the East Village neighborhood, Tompkins Square Park is now home to several events such as the Howl Festival, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, and the Tompkins Square Dog Run.