Arthur W. Strickler Triangle
overview
In 2009, this small landscaped parcel was dedicated Arthur W. Strickler Triangle in memory of the longtime Greenwich Village resident and community activist.
Strickler, born in Brooklyn, is credited with organizing religious support for the city’s gay rights bill, which passed in 1986, years after it was first proposed.
Arthur "Arty" Strickler. Photo by The Villager.
Arthur W Strickler Triangle Dedication Ceremony Program, October 23, 2009. Courtesy of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.
Arthur W. Strickler Triangle, 2022. Photo by Amanda Davis/NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project.
History
This Greenstreets site, adjacent to Abingdon Square and the Bleecker Street Playground in Greenwich Village, was dedicated on October 23, 2009, to Arthur Warren Strickler (1945-2006), also known as “Arty.” The Greenstreets program was started to landscape unimproved parcels of land owned by the NYC Department of Transportation, but are maintained by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.
Strickler, a native of Flatbush, Brooklyn, was a longtime gay Jewish community activist. He graduated from Bronx Community College, and worked as Director of Community Outreach at the New York State Department of Transportation. In 1975, he joined the LGBT Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, and served as president and chair of the board of trustees. A resident of Bethune Street, he was also on the board of nearby Westbeth Artists’ Housing.
A member of Manhattan Community Board 2 from 1983 to 1991, Strickler was its chair from 1989 to 1991, and then district manager until his death. He is credited with organizing religious support for the city’s gay rights bill, which had been proposed for years but not passed until March 20, 1986. He was also district leader of the Village Independent Democrats from 1991 to 1995.
Entry by Jay Shockley, project director (April 2022).
NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.
Sources
Andy Humm, “Arthur Strickler Dead at 60,” Gay City News, March 22, 2006.
“Arty Strickler, C.B. 2 district manager, is dead at age 60.” The Villager, March 21, 2006.
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Arthur W. Strickler Triangle Dedication Ceremony Program, October 23, 2009.
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