Memorial Gore
- Founded: 1894
- Acreage: 0.07
- Property Type: Triangle/Plaza
- Council Member: Jennifer Gutiérrez
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Memorial Gore
A “gore” refers to a small triangular park whose word has its origins in Old English “gara” meaning “corner” and Brooklyn is the only borough to feature gores—of which only three still exist!
One of which is Williamsburg’s Memorial Gore. Located at the intersection of Bushwick, Maspeth, and Metropolitan Avenues, it is a small piece of land purchased in 1894 for the unlikely sum of $2,500.
Dedicated in 1920 by the American Legion, it serves as a monument to the neighborhood soldiers who died in World War I.
The World War Memorial, which is the centerpiece of the park, was sculpted by the famous Italian Piccirilli Brothers of Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The fifteen-foot triangular shaft tower is topped by a marble ball, which in turn serves as a perch for a bronze eagle.
Sadly, in the mid-1980s, the bronze eagle was stolen. But local residents Guido and Tish Cianciotta got involved. They raised funds to have the eagle replaced and founded Friends of Memorial Gore.
While on a very busy street, Memorial Gore feels like a stately garden having been added to the greenstreets program, which awarded the small plaza with several rounds of funding beginning in 1999. Since then, the area has seen new sidewalks, pavement, seating, safety features, and plantings.