Grand Army Plaza

    

Looking like a spiderweb when viewed on a map, the deceptively-large Grand Army Plaza anchors the north-west corner of Prospect Park to the surrounding neighborhoods. Featuring two large concentric streets, which act as local and express conduits to other avenues, the Plaza and a long history dating back to the beginning of the Park.

Sharing the name with a plaza in Manhattan on the corner of 59th and 5th, this one is significantly larger, and arguably more impressive. While it certainly could benefit from some clean-up on behalf of the DOT or Parks Department, I wouldn't go so far as to call it run down. The Bailey Fountain, while impressive in its sculptural details, is not the first, or most-impressive fountain to stand in the center of the oval. The previous installation was a massive "electric fountain" built around the turn of the last century. It featured state-of-the-art lighting and over 2000 jets, making the current one look just a little sorry in comparison.

The arch in the center of it all is beautiful, but very lonely looking. With nothing within a few hundred feet of it in either direction, it looks more like a nuisance to drive around than a landmark to appreciate. Once you make your way to the outer ring, the traffic subsides and the neighborhood takes hold. The residential streets fan out from the center as-if they're all working to old the plaza down in its spot.