Sherman Square

[1] The park name is used to describe the neighborhood surrounding the entrances to the 72nd Street station, which are on traffic islands where Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue cross.

This provided the title and general setting for the 1966 book by James Mills and its 1971 film adaptation The Panic in Needle Park, directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino in his second role.

[3][4] The fenced-in portion of Sherman Square protecting its vegetation is only 264 sq ft (24.5 m2) and is actually a scalene triangle.

The name of squares for triangular pieces of land reflected the original Commissioners' Plan of 1811 which called for the area to be built according to a master grid.

New York City acquired the land by condemnation in 1849 when Broadway was being built through the area at an angle and was not on the grid.