The Heroes of Father Fagan Park

Father Fagan Park is a small triangular area in Soho along 6th Avenue. It is bordered by Prince Street to the north and runs about midway down a long block until the spot where Vandam Street intersects 6th Avenue from the west. 

Here are two looks from the southern tip of the park:

The sky and clouds almost look fake in that second photo. But they're real, my friend.

The big trees give the park lots of shade, which is nice but can also make it feel a bit dark, especially since the ground is paved and there is no playground or sports equipment, just benches. There's nothing wrong with benches, though. I enjoy a good sit-down as much as anyone. 

The park is named for Father Richard Fagan, who became a Franciscan priest in 1935 and a year later started serving at the St. Anthony of Padua Church, located at Sullivan and Houston just a few blocks northeast from here. 

Father Fagan lived in the rectory on the other side of the building at 151 Thompson Street. Here is that address today:

And here's a view with Thompson to the left and some of the Houston Street side of the church to the right:

On November 4, 1938 there was a fire in the rectory. Father Fagan was able to get out but he went back in twice to save two people: Father Louis Vitale and Father Bonaventure Pons. 

Father Fagan had severe burns and became trapped in the rectory. He jumped through a window to a roof that was one story below. He was found there and brought to a hospital but died on November 9, 1938. He was twenty-seven years old. The park was named after this amazing man in 1941.

The odd geometry of streets in the area that led to the park's formation was due to 6th Avenue being lengthened farther south into this area in the 1920's. Here is a look from Prince Street:

This park also honors three men of the FDNY who died from a fire that occurred on March 28, 1994 on Watts Street a few blocks south of the park near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel.

Three Callery Pear trees were planted in 1994 for the men, and a bronze plaque was included at each tree. They are along the 6th Avenue edge of the park.

Here is the tree for Firefighter Christopher J. Siedenburg, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be in such good health:

Here is the tree for Captain John J. Drennan, to the right in the photo:

And here is the tree near the corner for Firefighter James F. Young:

Captain Drennan was from Ladder Company 5 and Firefighters Siedenburg and Young were from Engine Company 24, located nearby on 6th Avenue just below Houston Street. 

There are plaques at the station for the three men:

And just next to the plaques is another tribute to them with photographs. Firefighter Siedenburg is to the left, Captain Drennan is at the center, and Firefighter Young is to the right:

I tried going to the site of the fire, at 62 Watts Street, but that whole area of the block is now a construction site. Here is a look now, with everything to the left of the Hampton Inn under construction.

Back at the park, along the eastern side there are some small shops and residential buildings, including a couple of beauty salons and a deli on the corner. 

One person put some images in the window, including a recent tribute to Muhammad Ali:

Despite the earlier mention of the park having lots of shade and being paved, I do appreciate its many trees and nice touches of flowers and plants in certain spots.

Here is a young tree that was labelled a London plane tree:

A sign indicated that there is a flower fund for the park and included a list of supporters:

An article from March 2015 on the site DNAinfo says that the city is planning to make some improvements to the park, including more green and newer benches. 

Hopefully those plans are still in the works. They would be nice for the park and those looking for a relaxing place to sit for a while. They would also help the park pay tribute to four remarkable men who gave their lives for the sake of others. I'm glad I got to learn a little about them in writing this post. I hope you feel the same, and thanks for reading.