New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

For establishing the statuary maintenance fund for the Athens Square Park.

The sculpture maintenance fund is required by the New York City Parks Department to support baseline care and preserve installed works in the city’s parks. Conceived in the 1980s, Athens Square Park is a public park and cultural center located in the heart of Astoria, a neighborhood that is home to a diverse population as well as to many Greek immigrants and Greek-Americans. Athens Square, Inc., a community-based group, was formed to promote the renovation of Athens Square Park. The park derives its name from a statue of the goddess Athena that was a gift from the City of Athens to the City of New York in 1998. More recently, Athens Square Park was the starting point of the 2004 Olympic torch relay in New York City.