This trivium (Latin for a place where three roads meet), at the juncture of Cabrini Boulevard, Pinehurst Avenue, and West 187th Street, is named for Dr. Charles V. Paterno (1877-1946) who was largely responsible for the residential development of this section of Fort Washington. The Paterno family arrived in New York from southern Italy and became involved in apartment house construction. Paterno trained as a medical doctor, but after his father's death in 1899, became an active builder throughout Manhattan.

In the spring of 2000, this trivium became a Greenstreets site. The Greenstreets program, a joint project of NYC Parks and the NYC Department of Transportation, began in 1986 and was revived in 1994 with the goal to convert paved street properties, such as triangles and malls, into green spaces.

The design of this trivium, including the paving pattern and landscape, was by architect Thomas Navin, AIA, ASLA Emeritus. The ribbon cutting ceremony that dedicated and named The Paterno Trivium took place on August 4, 2001, the birth date of Dr. Charles V. Paterno. Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn trees and ground cover of Lily Turf adorn The Trivium. The Friends of The Paterno Trivium Ltd serves as stewards of this park and work in collaboration with NYC Parks to provide for its care.

Technical drawing of a curved bench with labeled dimensions, support structure, and seating arrangement. The drawing includes front, side, and top views, with notes on seating capacity and armrest details.

Redmark notations by architect Thomas Navin to customize the eight seat bench manufactured by the company Landscape Forms. The bench was a gift of the three granddaughters of Dr. Charles V. Paterno

Where the rubber meets the road. A few behind the scenes pictures from the archives.

Construction workers planting trees in an urban intersection with orange safety barriers and a city building in the background.
Construction workers planting green bushes in a city sidewalk garden, with orange safety barriers and cones nearby, and apartment buildings in the background.
Construction workers working on a city street corner surrounded by orange traffic barrels and construction equipment with buildings and storefronts in the background.
Two construction workers stand near a barricade with 'POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS' tape, working on a street repair site with construction equipment and orange traffic cones in an urban area.