Straus Park is a small landscaped park in Morningside Heights, Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

, at the intersection of Broadway, West End Avenue

West End Avenue

West End Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, not far from the Hudson River.West End Avenue originates at West 59th Street; the continuation of the street below 59th Street is called Eleventh Avenue. It runs from 59th Street to its...

, and 106th Street.

The most notable feature is a "pensive" 1913 sculpture by the American artist Augustus Lukeman

Augustus Lukeman

Henry Augustus Lukeman was an American sculptor, specializing in historical monuments. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, and introduced to sculpting at age 10 at a boys' club miniature workshop. From 10 to 13 he worked with clay and wood. He then became a pupil of sculptor Launt Thompson until...

 in the form of a memorial to Ida Straus

Ida Straus

Ida Straus, born Rosalie Ida Blun was an American homemaker and wife of the co-owner of the Macy's department store. She and her husband Isidor died on board the RMS Titanic.-Early life:...

. The model for the sculpture was Audrey Munson

Audrey Munson

Audrey Munson was an American artist's model and film actress, known variously as "Miss Manhattan," "the Exposition Girl," and "American Venus." She was the model or inspiration for more than 15 statues in New York City and appeared in four silent films.-Life and career:Audrey Marie Munson was...

.

The park is a memorial to both Ida and Isidor Straus

Isidor Straus

Isidor Straus —a German Jewish American—was co-owner of the Macy's department store with his brother Nathan. He also served briefly as a member of the United States House of Representatives...

, a United States congressman and co-owner of Macy’s, who perished on the RMS Titanic.

On the memorial is carved a passage from Second Samuel 23, “Lovely and pleasant were they in their lives and in their death they were not parted.” The reference is to Ida’s choice to stay with her beloved husband, Isidor, rather than get safely into a lifeboat.

The Strauses lived in a house at numbers 2747 Broadway, between 105th and 106th Street, one block south of the location of the memorial.

The park exists because a small triangle of land is formed where Broadway and West End Avenue merge. It was known as Schuyler Square when acquired by the City in 1895, and was renamed to Bloomingdale Square in 1907.

Between 1995 and 1997, Straus Park was renovated and expanded to the west, by the addition of 15 feet of West End Avenue. An endowment established by the Straus family funded the transformation of a neglected reflecting pool in front of the sculpture into a planting bed. The Friends of Straus Park fund maintenance and the planting of seasonal flowers.

External links

• Audrey Munson website photos
• Friends of Straus Park Newsletter
• An illustrated excerpt of André Aciman’s essay Shadow Cities, about Straus Park