Sohncke Square (GMaps)
July 6, 2020 By Christian Murray
The Parks Dept has released preliminary design plans for the long-awaited revamp of Woodside’s Sohncke Square.
The tiny park — which borders Roosevelt and Woodside Avenues along 58th street — is about to undergo a $2.25 million renovation.
The upgrade will include new seating, the installation of a drinking fountain, a bike rack, tables, additional plantings, and security lighting, according to the Parks Dept.
The redesign is expected to be finalized by the fall, with construction starting midway through next year. The revamp is likely to be completed in 2022.
The square, which most say is run down, has not had any meaningful upgrades in decades.
The funds to cover the revamp come from a $750,000 allocation from the borough president’s office; $750,000 from Council Member Van Bramer’s office and $750,000 from the city council. These funds were allocated as part of the 2019-2020 budget.
Van Bramer said last year that residents had been reaching out to his office asking for renovations.
“This is a central and visible part of Woodside,” he also noted. “I want to see it beautified, where it will enhance the quality of life.”
The park is named after Sergeant Carl R. Sohncke, a Queens native who was killed in action during World War I. Sohncke enlisted in the United States Army in 1915, and was killed in France.
Existing Conditions at Sohncke Square
Redesign plan of Sohncke Square (Parks Dept.)
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2 Comments
Complete waste of money. Now the homeless will have cleaner benches to sleep on. I thought the city was in a 9 billion dollar hole. Layoffs on the horizon. Food pantries with lines around the block.
Carl Sohncke, a German-American, who fought Germany – like many German-Americans. Read their names on the WW1 monuments. Interesting, no?