Quisqueya Plaza In Inwood Officially Reopens With Permanent Name

INWOOD, NY — After temporarily being called Quisqueya Plaza during the summer and then switching to the Dyckman Plaza this fall — the plaza on Dyckman Street between Broadway and Seaman Avenues is now permanently known as Quisqueya Plaza again — after the City Council approved the name change on Tuesday.

A ceremony was held Thursday to celebrate the unveiling of the permanent plaza in Inwood.

It was attended by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman, Citi Bike general manager Laura Fox, advocates, and community members.

The ceremony celebrated "the transformation of one of the most successful Open Streets into a full-time permanent public plaza supporting Open Restaurants and community programming," reads a news release from Rodriguez.

Quisqueya Plaza hosts seven different restaurants on a single block. The event on Thursday also featured a musical performance as two local restaurants Mama Sushi and Papsito served guests.

Quisqueya is one of the names in the Taino language for the island that is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is also the name of a municipality within the Dominican Republic.

“Dyckman Plaza is a shining example of how reclaiming space from cars can transform our neighborhoods,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman, in a news release. “This is a historic day as we turn one of our most successful Open Streets into a permanent plaza that will be part of the fabric of this neighborhood for generations to come."