Joseph Walter Person Square

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

This small plot of land is located a couple of blocks away from Fort Greene Park. It was named after Naval officer Joseph Walter Person in 1951. Person served in the United States Navy during the First World War (1914-1918). He passed away at a young age before the war's end. He was buried in Queens and is today honored by this little square in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Images

Standing in front of Person Square on Myrtle Avenue

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Just North-East of Fort Greene Park is a small plot of land located on the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Carlton Avenue. Adjacent to the plot, the Walt Whitman Houses are situated. They were constructed to provide homes for the Brooklyn Navy Yard workers in 1944. Then in 1951, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation acquired this square and named it to honor Joseph Walter Person (1892-1918) in accordance to local law. Person was a resident of Borough Park, Brooklyn, and served as a pay clerk in the United States Navy during World War I (1914-1918). He served in the United States Navy until the age of 26. He died of pneumonia during his service. The pneumonia may have been a result of the flu epidemic at the time. He was then buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York.

Today the park is a hub for locals to congregate and socialize. There are benches and trees to provide shade and a place to rest for anyone passing by. The square became part of a program (Greenstreets) in 1986 to turn paved street areas into green spaces.

Sources

New York City Parks . J W Person Square , New York City Department of Parks & Recreation . N/A date. Accessed October 29th 2019. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/j-w-person-square/history.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Taken by Anonymous on 2 November 2019