CaVaLa Park in TriBeCa Evokes Manhattan's History of Acronyms

By Gabriela Resto-Montero

DNAinfo Reporter / Producer

TRIBECA — First there was SoHo. Then came TriBeCa and NoLita, and even WaHi and SpaHa. Now, Manhattanites have a new shorthand name to remember: CaVaLa.

The city officially opened a new $3.4 million park here last week that evokes the neighborhood and its history.  A 114-foot long fountain, for example, harkens back to when there was a canal at Canal Street. And its name — derived from the boundaries of Canal, Varick and Laight streets — reminds the park goer that they're in the Triangle Below Canal.

"It's a little kitschy for me but, whatever. The name is not important," said Judith, a TriBeCa resident who lives near the park. "It's if it serves the city and the people."

"If you look up you can see a huge amount of sky and that's a very rare place in the city," she said.

The pocket park brings a touch of green space to land that was once a parking lot.  The city allotted the plot for a park in 2005, and an infusion of cash from the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006 kept the project moving forward.

Now, instead of cars, there are trees, benches and a small landscaped lawn. But the main feature is the fountain, designed by SoHo artist Elyn Zimmerman. Water flows along it and down several tiers, meant to conjure images of a canal. 

For people taking advantage of the new space, the park is a welcome oasis amid the turmoil of city life.

"This one is very nice because it's made of the city," said Jean-Marc Lewis. "You can see all the view around."

CaVaLa Park, named by combining the names of its bordering streets, opened Nov. 12 and features a water fountain and gre...

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Gabriela Resto-Montero

The Water feature in the middle of the park runs the length of the space

Gabriela Resto-Montero