General Worth Square

William Jenkins Worth (1794-1849) was born in Hudson, NY and began his military career serving as an aide to Brigadier General Winfield Scott during the War of 1812. After the war he served as Commandant of Cadets at West Point and prosecuted the Second Seminole War in 1841. Worth's greatest fame came during his service in the Mexican-American War and Congress awarded him a sword of honor for his service at the Battle of Chapultepec.

Worth was placed in command of the Department of Texas, where he died of cholera in San Antonio. The City of NY reinterred Worth from Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn to this spot and erected this monument in 1857. The memorial was designed by James Goodwin Batterson (1823-1901) and is located just to the north of the confluence of Broadway and Fifth Avenue on West 25th Street just west of Madison Square Park.

(Parks Dept. Historical Sign)

2/14/2008 12:25 PM
Worth Memorial

An equipment building with Art Deco touches (note the 8 panels and octagon window) was added on the north side of the memorial in 1940 to provide access to water pipes underneath the monument.

9/7/2007 04:21 PM
1940 equipment building