Getty Square
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Getty Square is a square in the downtown area of Yonkers, New York, United States of America. It is located by the historic Yonkers City Hall, Saint John, the Episcopal Church, and large variety of shops and landmarks. It is considered the center of downtown Yonkers.
At the beginning of the 20th century, it was the center of life in Yonkers and one of the cultural capitals of Westchester County. Like many cities in the northeastern United States, Yonkers suffered severe de-industrialization after World War II and the downtown suffered as a result.
The Getty Square area fell apart as middle class people moved to the other neighborhoods of the city, or left Yonkers entirely. During the 1990s, the area was called "Ghetto Square."
Beginning in the 1990s, with the drop in crime in nearby New York City, Yonkers' crime rate has been dropping and downtown is undergoing an urban renewal process. As a result, Getty Square's future is viewed more optimistically.
A branch of the New York and Putnam Railroad used to serve Getty Square.
A New York State Dept. of Motor Vehicles is in the Getty Square area, near the Yonkers waterfront.
Getty Square is named for Robert Parkhill Getty.
