This landscaped area is a vibrant gathering place in the heart of the city. It started in 1866 as a formal Spanish plaza called La Plaza Abaja; by the late 19C it was the centerpiece of a residential neighborhood and had been appropriately renamed Central Park. In 1918, in a fit of Armistice Day fever, Central Park's name was changed again, this time to Pershing Square, in honor of the famous general. The doughboy statue in the corner-doughboy was the term used for American infantrymen in France during the war-dates from that period. More recently, world-renowned architect Ricardo Legoretta redesigned the public space in 1994, and Laurie Olin, an equally celebrated landscape architect, selected the plantings. Today the Parks Department sets up an ice-skating rink in winter and holds a free concert series here in the summer.