As of 2019, where in New York City was the Hess Triangle located?

In the West Village of the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan Borough, New York, New York, USA, lay the Hess Triangle. A small (27.5 x 27.5 x 25.5 inch or 69.85 x 69.85 x 64.8 centimeter) isosceles triangle of tile, it marked the spot where the angry heirs of one angry man proved that you can fight City Hall and actually win.

The plaque read: “PROPERTY OF THE HESS ESTATE WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN DEDICATED FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES.” In 1938, the owners of Village Cigars purchased the plaque for around $2.00 per square inch, a total of $1,000, which, adjusted for inflation, was about $17.000 in 2016 money. As of 2016, the plaque remained in front of the Village Cigar doorway.

In 1910, New York City used its right of eminent domain to seize a number of properties and force owners to take “fair market value” for them. One of the buildings torn down to expand the city’s IRT subway line was the Voorhis five-story apartment building, which belonged to Philadelphian David Hess. Hess was incensed and fought the action in court but was ultimately powerless to do anything.

After Mr. Hess died, his family learned that the city’s surveyors had made a small, triangular error in measurement. The city asked Hess family members to donate the land. They refused, took the matter to court, and won. They placed the plaque on July 26, 1922. In essence, David Hess’s heirs told New York City what it could do with its eminent domain principle.