Bryant Park
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Bryant Park is a Template:Convert, privately managed public park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. The eastern half of Bryant Park is occupied by the Main Branch of the New York Public Library. The western half contains a lawn, shaded walkways, and amenities such as a carousel, and is located entirely over an underground structure that houses the library's stacks. The park hosts several events, including a seasonal "Winter Village" with an ice rink and shops during the winter.
The first park at the site was opened in 1847 and was called Reservoir Square due to its proximity to the Croton Distributing Reservoir. Reservoir Square contained the New York Crystal Palace, which hosted the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in 1853 and burned down in 1858. The square was renamed in 1884 for abolitionist and journalist William Cullen Bryant. The reservoir was demolished in 1900 and the New York Public Library's main branch was built on the site, opening in 1911. Bryant Park was rebuilt in 1933–1934 to a plan by Lusby Simpson. After a period of decline, it was restored in 1988–1992 by landscape architects Hanna/Olin Ltd. and architects Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates, during which the park was rebuilt and the library's stacks were built underneath. Further improvements were made in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Though it is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Bryant Park is managed by the private not-for-profit organization Bryant Park Corporation, which was founded in 1980 and led the restoration of Bryant Park. The park is cited as a model for the success of public-private partnerships. The park is both a National Register of Historic Places listing and a New York City designated landmark.
History
Early history
In 1686, when the area was still a wilderness, New York's colonial governor, Thomas Dongan, designated the area now known as Bryant Park as a public space.<ref name="Bryant_Park_History" /> George Washington's troops crossed the area while retreating from the Battle of Long Island in 1776. The road upon which Washington's troops retreated traversed the park site diagonally.<ref name="Bryant_Park_History" /><ref name="The New York Times 1909">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Miller 2011">Template:Cite web</ref> The city acquired the land in 1822.<ref name="The New York Times 1909" /> Beginning in 1823, Bryant Park was designated a potter's field (a graveyard for the poor) and remained so until 1840, when thousands of bodies were moved to Wards Island.<ref name="Bryant_Park_History"/><ref name="Miller 2011" />
The first park at this site opened in 1847, though that park was never legally named.<ref name="The New York Times 1884">Template:Cite news</ref> It was called "Reservoir Square" after the Croton Distributing Reservoir, which was erected on the eastern side of the park site due to its elevated location.<ref name="The New York Times 1909" /><ref name="Bryant_Park_History">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1853, the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations with the New York Crystal Palace, featuring thousands of exhibitors, took place in the park.<ref name="Bryant_Park_History" /> The Crystal Palace, also known as the Great Exhibition Hall, burned down in 1858.<ref>Template:Cite concrete</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Latting Observatory was also constructed in the park as part of the 1853 Exhibition, and was also burned down in 1856.<ref name="Miller 2011" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The square was used for military drills during the American Civil War, and was the site of some of the New York City draft riots of July 1863, when the Colored Orphan Asylum at Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street was burned down.<ref name="Bryant_Park_History" /><ref name="The New York Times 1909" /><ref name="Miller 2011" />
Reservoir Square was renovated in 1870–1871, during which the modern-day park had been laid out.<ref name="Bryant_Park_History" /><ref name="The New York Times 1909" /> Several additional structures were planned for Reservoir Square, but never built.<ref name="Gray 2007">Template:Cite news</ref> These included an 1870 plan for new armory for the 7th New York Militia,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> an 1880 plan for an opera house,<ref name="Gray 2007" /> another plan in 1881 for a New York Historical Society building,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> an 1893 plan for relocating the New York City Hall building,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a 1903 plan for a general post office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Late 19th and early 20th centuries
Renaming and library construction
File:Bryant Park and Hippodrome Theater,1905.webm
In 1884, Reservoir Square was renamed Bryant Park,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to honor the New York Evening Post editor and abolitionist William Cullen Bryant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Miller 2011" /> Around the same time as the park's renaming, in 1883, plans emerged to build a library in Bryant Park, atop the site of the reservoir. The library would be funded by Samuel J. Tilden.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This was opposed somewhat by property owners, who wanted to extend the park eastward onto the reservoir site. Nevertheless, by the 1890s, the reservoir was slated for demolition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When the New York Public Library was founded in 1895, its founders wanted an imposing main branch building.<ref name="nycl1 p. 2">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp The trustees of the libraries chose to build the branch at the eastern end of Bryant Park, along Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, because it was centrally located between the Astor and Lenox Libraries, the library's direct predecessors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The architects of the building, Carrère and Hastings, also planned to convert the western border along Sixth Avenue into a pedestrian arcade with a flower market, while the central portion of Bryant Park would have housed sculptures and statues. However, these plans were cancelled as a result of opposition.<ref name="The New York Sun 1912">Template:Cite news</ref>
The reservoir was torn down by 1900,<ref name="Miller 2011" /><ref name="The New York Times 1884" /> and construction started on the library.<ref name="NYTimes-NewLibraryReady-19102">Template:Cite web</ref> In conjunction with the library's construction, several improvements were made to the park, such as terrace gardens, public facilities, and kiosks, as well as a raised terrace adjoining the library on the eastern portion of the park.<ref name="NYCL-0879">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp<ref name="The New York Sun 1912" /> Since Bryant Park itself was located several feet above the surrounding streets, an iron fence, hedge, and embankment wall were built on the north, west, and south borders to separate the park from the bordering sidewalks. Benches were also installed along the retaining walls. Bryant Park's interior was split into three lawns, divided by a pair of west–east gravel paths that aligned roughly with the sidewalks of 41st Street on the west end of the park. Four stone stairways were built: one each from Sixth Avenue's intersections with 40th and 42nd Streets, and one each from 40th and 42nd Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.<ref name="The New York Sun 1912" /> In addition, 42nd Street was widened in 1910, necessitating the relocation of the fence on Bryant Park's northern border and the removal of plants there.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The NYPL's Main Branch was opened on May 23, 1911.<ref name="plhist">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Opened-1911">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Infrastructure and further improvements
Due to its central location in Midtown Manhattan, several transit lines and infrastructure projects were also built around Bryant Park.<ref name="Bryant Park 2006">Template:Cite web</ref> The first of these was the Sixth Avenue Elevated railway, which opened in 1878.<ref name="Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 1938">Template:Cite news</ref> The city's first subway line, now part of the 42nd Street Shuttle, was opened in 1904 by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and ran directly under 42nd Street.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt19640422">Template:Cite news</ref> In the 1910s, the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (now PATH) also planned to extend their Uptown Hudson Tubes from Herald Square to Grand Central Terminal,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with intermediate stations near Bryant Park's northeast and southwest corners, though this plan was never realized.<ref name="Tribeca Trib 2018">Template:Cite web</ref>
The Catskill Aqueduct water tunnel was built under Bryant Park in the early 1910s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Once the work was complete, the affected sections of Bryant Park were restored.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During World War I, Bryant Park was frequently used for patriotic rallies,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a "war garden"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a "recreation building" for Allied soldiers was erected in the park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the end of the war in 1920, an experimental garden was placed in the park<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the recreation building was destroyed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During construction of the IRT Flushing Line in the 1920s, the northern segment of Bryant Park was partly closed for four years<ref name="The New York Times 1927">Template:Cite news</ref> while the subway line was constructed directly underneath.<ref name="Bryant_Park_History" /><ref name="The New York Times 1922">Template:Cite news</ref> The subway tunnel ran Template:Convert below ground level with a station at the eastern edge of the park, at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. During construction, workers took precautions to avoid interrupting the flow of traffic above ground and interfering with preexisting tunnels.<ref name="The New York Times 1922" /> The Fifth Avenue station opened in 1926,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while the tunnel under Bryant Park to Times Square opened the following year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 1927, after the section of the Flushing Line under Bryant Park was complete, plans were announced for a restoration of the park's northern section.<ref name="The New York Times 1927" />
1930s restoration
By the 1930s, Bryant Park was suffering from neglect and was considered disreputable, as the Sixth Avenue elevated literally overshadowed the park.<ref name="Lynn Morrone Toran Hamill 2013">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Over a period of 10 years, about 100 separate plans for Bryant Park's renovation were proposed, but never enacted.<ref name="The New York Times 1934 2" /> In an attempt to revitalize the park, the George Washington Bicentennial Planning Committee and Sears filed plans for a replica of Lower Manhattan's Federal Hall in early 1932.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the construction of the replica, part of the park was fenced off.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Dr. Marion Sims and Washington Irving statues were removed; the statues were later found under the Williamsburg Bridge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The replica was opened to the public in May 1932, charging an admission fee for entry.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That November, Manhattan parks commissioner Walter R. Herrick formally notified Sears that the replica had to be torn down, because he did not approve of its proposed conversion into a Great Depression relief center.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the next year, the Bicentennial Committee's funds had been exhausted.<ref>Template:Cite enc-nyc2</ref> The replica was torn down in mid-1933.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In an attempt to engage unemployed architects, the Architects' Emergency Committee held a competition for the redesign of Bryant Park in 1933. The winning design was submitted by Lusby Simpson, of Queens.<ref name="NYCL-0879" />Template:Rp<ref name="Miller 2011" /><ref name="Lynn Morrone Toran Hamill 2013" />Template:Rp However, due to a lack of funding, the winning design was not implemented immediately.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February 1934, under the leadership of newly appointed parks commissioner Robert Moses, work was started on Simpson's plan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The renovated park featured a great lawn, as well as hedges and later an iron fence that separated the park from the surrounding city streets. Two entrances each were added from 40th and 42nd Streets.<ref name="NYCL-0879" />Template:Rp<ref name="The New York Times 1934 2">Template:Cite news</ref> As part of the project, 270 trees were placed around the park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Moses also placed the park's statues along 40th and 42nd Streets so as to block sight lines from these streets.<ref name="Moritz 1989">Template:Cite news</ref> To save money, the project hired workers from the Civil Works Administration, an unemployment relief program.<ref name="The New York Times 1934 2" /> The renovation was complete by late 1934, and after a short postponement,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the park reopened that September 15.<ref name="NYCL-0879" />Template:Rp<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Parts of the park were closed in the late 1930s due to transit changes on Sixth Avenue; the elevated was torn down in 1938,<ref name="Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 1938" /> and the construction of the underground Sixth Avenue subway line occurred around the same time. The Sixth Avenue subway opened in 1940.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A New Yorker article remarked in 1936 that during the prior 14 years, "Bryant Park has been closed to the public [...] for half that time."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Mid-20th century
Public events in Bryant Park were held through the mid-20th century. For instance, in 1944 during World War II, an aircraft demonstration was held in the park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Outdoor summer concerts in Bryant Park were started in 1948 by Philip Lieson Miller, a musicologist at the New York Public Library.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> These concerts took place from 12 to 2 p.m. on weekdays from July through September.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On October 15, 1969, forty thousand people attended a rally in Bryant Park as part of the nationwide Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam.<ref>Review of Bryant Park Moratorium Rally Template:Webarchive by Matthew Murphy, September 20, 2005</ref><ref>Millet, Stanley. South Vietnam, vol 4: "1969", 1974, p. 197, Indiana University Template:ISBN</ref><ref>Kramer, Jane. "Moratorium" in The New Yorker, October 25, 1969</ref> Another large event, the Big Apple Circus, was proposed to be held in Bryant Park in 1978,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but parks commissioner Gordon Davis denied the circus permission to host a show there, since it would have closed off Bryant Park to the public.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Plans to build parking garages under Bryant Park also surfaced in the mid-20th century, as a means of relieving parking shortages in Midtown Manhattan. The first such plan was made in 1946 when the city conducted a survey to determine the feasibility of such a garage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Parks commissioner Moses opposed the plan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A parking garage was proposed again in 1958, with plans for 1,200 spaces, though Moses also opposed this proposal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This proposal was backed by the Avenue of the Americas Association.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, though Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. supported the proposal,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the New York City Planning Commission voted against it in November 1961.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
By the 1960s, Bryant Park had entered a state of deterioration, due to a lack of maintenance and its location in a business district with few nighttime activities.<ref name="Moritz 1989" /> In an attempt to deter crime, new lighting was installed in Bryant Park in 1962.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Nevertheless, in 1966, parks commissioner Thomas Hoving called a meeting to restore the park,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> noting its degraded condition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the 1970s, Bryant Park had been taken over by drug dealers and the homeless, and was considered a no-go area by ordinary citizens and visitors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The condition of the park was so bad that in 1973, parks commissioner Richard M. Clurman threatened to "close Bryant Park and clear it of everybody—until we can get together and make it a place that New Yorkers want it to be."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After a man was murdered at the park in 1976, the New York Times noted that gambling and drinking were commonplace at the park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In an opinion piece in the New York Daily News, Jerome Gartner, a coordinator for the Bryant Park Steering Committee, stated that the mugging of a Union Carbide executive in Bryant Park had been quoted as a reason for the company's moving out of New York City.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
An initial attempt at cleanup was commenced by the Bryant Park Community Fund in the mid-1970s. Free concerts were added in the hope that it would keep out criminals. The initiative was largely unsuccessful, though, and its funding was nearly depleted by 1977.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Another initiative, the Bryant Park Steering Committee, was created in 1977 as a partnership between local businesses and the City University of New York.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> More New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers were added, and District Attorney Robert Morgenthau agreed to process arrests in Bryant Park more quickly. By 1978, public perception of Bryant Park's safety was slightly better than in previous years, though drug dealers still frequented the park after office workers had gone back to work following their lunch breaks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Furthermore, NYPD officers initially declined to arrest drug users who were nonviolent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Starting in 1979, a coordinated program of amenities, including book and flower markets, landscape improvements, and entertainment activities, was initiated by a parks advocacy group called the Parks Council.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Though the Parks Council's activities became popular, drug use and small crimes were still common within the park through the early 1980s.<ref name="Goldberger 1983">Template:Cite news</ref> After a group of undercover NYPD officers were stationed in the park starting in 1980, they had made 400 drug-related arrests within six months.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Late 20th century
Formation of corporations
The Bryant Park Restoration Corporation was founded in 1980 by Dan Biederman, along with Andrew Heiskell, chairman of Time Inc. and the New York Public Library.<ref name="Donahue Zeckhauser Breyer 2012 p. 177">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The BPRC immediately brought significant changes to remake the park into a place that people wanted to visit, and instituted a rigorous program to clean the park, remove graffiti, and repair physical damage. The BPRC also created a private security staff to confront unlawful behavior.<ref name="Miller 2011" /><ref name="Donahue Zeckhauser Breyer 2012 p. 177" /> In addition, the BPRC started an outdoor concert series in the summers. By 1982, arrests had decreased significantly compared to two years prior.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Another agency—the Bryant Park Management Corporation, composed of several nearby businesses—was tasked with maintaining the park, spending $525,000 per year to do so. NYC Parks spent an additional $250,000 a year on maintenance, the same amount as when the city had sole control over the park's management.<ref name="Saunders 1989">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1983, HBO's president, Frank Biondi, gave Heiskell a $100,000 check just before the company moved into new headquarters at 1100 Avenue of the Americas, adjacent to the park. At the time, that was the largest donation toward Bryant Park by a private corporation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Renovation
In 1983, in an attempt to draw crowds to the park and raise money for continued maintenance, the BPRC proposed leasing Bryant Park from the city, renovating it, and building a café in the park.<ref name="Goldberger 1983" /> The $18 million renovation was to be executed by an alliance between the BPRC, NYPL, and NYC Parks.<ref name="Carmody 1983">Template:Cite news</ref> Restaurateur Warner LeRoy was to operate the eatery, and he planned to build an Template:Convert, Template:Convert glass café on the park's east side adjacent to the library.<ref name="Goldberger 1987">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, the park would include four smaller food kiosks, a reflecting pool and water fountain, and a dedicated security team.<ref name="Carmody 1983" />
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In 1984, the state passed legislation to allow the BPRC to lease space for such an eatery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The City Planning Commission also approved the structure the following year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the proposed café was met with opposition from the public, as it would obscure the library's rear facade.<ref name="Goldberger 1987" /> Several park advocates who opposed it argued that the proposed eatery would turn over part of a public park to a private entity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> LeRoy withdrew from the project in 1986 due to this opposition, saying that he feared that the constant reviews of the plan would bring the proposed structure to "mediocrity".<ref name="Moritz 1989" /><ref name="Anderson 1987a">Template:Cite news</ref>
The renovation was approved by the City Art Commission in January 1987, though the restaurant plan had not yet been approved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following LeRoy's withdrawal from the proposed Bryant Park café, the BPRC created a new plan with multiple smaller restaurant spaces. The spaces would be composed of two smaller pavilions, each Template:Convert tall with an area of Template:Convert, flanking the Bryant memorial next to the library. In September 1987, the plans went to another vote before the City Art Commission, with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission taking an advisory role.<ref name="Anderson 1987a" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The redesigned restaurant spaces were also approved by the City Art Commission that December,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> though the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission registered no official position on the matter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A concessionaire for one of the spaces was found in 1988,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the same year, the city turned over duties of Bryant Park's land to BPRC.<ref name="Miller 2011" /> Subsequently, the park redesign was drafted by Hanna/Olin Ltd. and Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates; the design preserved many elements of Simpson's design in the 1930s.<ref name="Lynn Morrone Toran Hamill 2013" />Template:Rp
The park was closed for renovations on July 11, 1988.<ref name="Moritz 1989" /> The four-year project to rebuild Bryant Park entailed new entrances, repairs to paths and lighting,<ref name="Lynn Morrone Toran Hamill 2013" />Template:Rp<ref name="Moritz 1989" /><ref name="nyt 19920503">Template:Cite news</ref> and a redesign of the park's garden by Lynden Miller.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Biederman worked with William H. Whyte, a sociologist whose influence led them to implement two decisions.<ref name="Lynn Morrone Toran Hamill 2013" />Template:Rp One was the placement of 2,000 movable chairs in the park.<ref name="Gothamist 2019">Template:Cite web</ref> The other was to lower the park itself, because Bryant Park had been elevated from the street and isolated by tall hedges prior to the 1988 redesign.<ref name="Lynn Morrone Toran Hamill 2013" />Template:Rp The 1988 renovation lowered the park to nearly street level and tore out the hedges, though much of the park was still slightly elevated. The park's restrooms, which had been closed for 35 years, were renovated as well.<ref name="Moritz 1989" /><ref name="nyt 19920503" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The BPRC also found that several of the sculptures would need to be repaired, and called on William Cullen Bryant's descendants and other entities to provide funding for the restoration of these sculptures.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Landscape architect Laurie Olin of Hanna/Olin recalls that the design process focused on "the different abilities of people [who] use these spaces...as well as making spaces that people are comfortable being with each other in."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The restoration cost $8.9 million, which included $5.7 million of city funding and $3.2 million of private funding.<ref name="Ravo 1991">Template:Cite news</ref>
The renovation took place at the same time as the NYPL's expansion of the main branch's stacks underneath Bryant Park.<ref name="Moritz 1989" /><ref name="The New York Public Library 1902">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Anderson 1987">Template:Cite news</ref> The project was originally estimated to cost $21.6 million and was to be the largest expansion project in the main branch's history;<ref name="White 1987">Template:Cite news</ref> it entailed building Template:Convert of stacks, which could hold 3.2 million books.<ref name="The New York Public Library 1902"/><ref name="Anderson 1987"/> Construction on the stacks started after the park was closed.<ref name="The New York Public Library 1902" /> The park was excavated and the Great Lawn was rebuilt above it.<ref name="White 1987" /> Once the underground facilities were completed, Bryant Park was completely rebuilt,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with Template:Convert of earth between the park surface and the storage facility's ceiling.<ref name="Weber 1992">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The New York Public Library 1902" />
Reopening and critical acclaim
Bryant Park was initially supposed to reopen in late 1990 or early 1991.<ref name="Saunders 1989" /> The reopening date was pushed back due to delays caused by the construction of the library's stacks.<ref name="Ravo 1991" /> In June 1991, the city and BPRC reached an agreement to reopen the western section of Bryant Park on summer weekdays.<ref name="Ravo 1991"/> The park was soft reopened on April 21, 1992, with the official reopening set for nearly a month later.<ref name="Weber 1992"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The new design received widespread acclaim. Deemed "a triumph for many" by New York Times architectural critic Paul Goldberger, the renovation was lauded not only for its architectural excellence, but also for adhering to Whyte's vision. According to Goldberger, Biederman "understood that the problem of Bryant Park was its perception as an enclosure cut off from the city; he knew that, paradoxically, people feel safer when not cut off from the city, and that they feel safer in the kind of public space they think they have some control over."<ref name="nyt 19920503" /> The renovation was lauded as "The Best Example of Urban Renewal" by New York magazine,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was described by Time as a "small miracle".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Thompson 1997">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Many awards followed, including a Design Merit Award from Landscape Architecture Magazine,<ref name="Thompson 1997" />Template:Rp and the 1996 Award for Excellence from the Urban Land Institute (ULI).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The park has been extolled for its relative calmness and cleanness.<ref>See, for instance, Template:Cite web</ref> Through the 21st century, Bryant Park remained a model of civic renewal that mayors of other cities, such as Jorge Elorza of Providence, Rhode Island, sometimes held up as a model to emulate.<ref name="ProJo20170831">Template:Cite news</ref>
Bryant Park was described in the media as an example of New York City's 1990s revival. A New York Times article in 1995 referred to the park as the "Town Square of Midtown" and an "office oasis" frequented by midtown office workers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Further improvements included the installation of two newsstands in 1992, one each at Fifth and Sixth Avenues.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Open-air concerts in the summers, which drew thousands of people, were commenced.<ref name="Deutsch 1993">Template:Cite news</ref> To lessen infestations of pigeons eating the plants, the BPC started scattering corn kernels that contained the drug azacosterol, which resulted in many pigeons becoming infertile without any other side effects.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Meanwhile, financing for a restaurant in Bryant Park next to the library was finally secured in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The restaurant, Bryant Park Grill, opened in 1995.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
21st century
With security largely under the purview of the BPC, corporate control of the park has meant that Bryant Park received passive-recreation amenities, while excluding active sports that might cater to a broader urban public.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The BPC added a custom-built carousel in 2002<ref name="Collins 2002" /> and revived the tradition of an open-air library, the Reading Room, in 2003.<ref name="Hanlon 2011" /> In July 2002, the park launched a public wireless network, making the park the first in New York City to formally offer free Wi-Fi access to visitors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Wi-Fi system was subsequently upgraded in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Furthermore, the Pond, a free-admission ice skating rink, opened in the park in 2005.<ref name="nyt 20061229">Template:Cite news</ref> The park's public restrooms were renovated in 2006 and in 2017.<ref name="Video 2017" /><ref name="Hu 2017" />
The dramatic rise in real estate values in the area around Bryant Park, as well as new construction in adjacent areas, was a consequence of the park's improvements. By 1993, the surrounding region had become a highly desirable office area, and formerly vacant office space around the park was being filled quickly.<ref name="Deutsch 1993" /> By the first decade of the 21st century, nearby buildings and businesses were also using names that referred to the park.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This was shown by the then-new Bank of America Tower skyscraper at the park's northeast corner using the address "One Bryant Park", as well as the growing trend of Bryant Park vanity addresses, including 3, 4, 5, and 7 Bryant Park.<ref name="Gray 2007" /> National Public Radio, located just south of the park, also named a now-defunct talk show the "Bryant Park Project" upon the show's 2007 launch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Such enthusiasm to use the Bryant Park name would have been nonexistent in the 1980s, when the area was described as "the Wild West".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
New real-estate developments were also built in the park's vicinity starting in the 21st century, which together added over 13,000 new workers to the area immediately surrounding Bryant Park. These included the Bank of America Tower; an expansion to 1095 Avenue of the Americas immediately to the south; Eleven Times Square a block west of Bryant Park; and 505 Fifth Avenue at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Several hotels were also built, including a conversion of 485 Fifth Avenue at 41st Street, a Residence Inn by Marriott at Sixth Avenue and 39th Street.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the early 2010s, investors were purchasing buildings around Bryant Park south of 42nd Street as part of a small real estate boom. Rents per square foot in buildings south of 42nd Street had historically been lower than rents in buildings north of 42nd Street. Conversely, 1095 Avenue of the Americas and 452 Fifth Avenue were able to attract comparatively high rental rates despite both being south of 42nd Street.<ref name="nyt20121002">Template:Cite news</ref> Later in the decade, the area around Bryant Park started growing into a residential neighborhood, with the construction of new developments in the area. Within a two-block radius of the park, or roughly Template:Convert, units routinely sold for millions of dollars.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
By 2024, the Bryant Park Grill's lease was about to expire.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The BPC solicited bids for the restaurant's space, leasing it in January 2025 to a branch of the Jean-Georges restaurant, which planned to renovate the space for $12 million;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Bryant Park Grill's owner sued the BPC in April 2025 to prevent Jean-Georges from using its space.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After a judge granted a temporary injunction,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bryant Park Grill indicated that it would not move out when its lease expired that month,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which led to litigation over the restaurant's continued occupancy of its space.<ref name="Bagli 2025">Template:Cite news</ref>
Description
Bryant Park is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets, and covers Template:Convert. Although technically the main branch of the New York Public Library is located within the park, in design it forms the eastern boundary of the park's green space, making Sixth Avenue the park's primary entrance. Bryant Park is used mostly as a passive recreation space, and lacks active sports facilities.<ref name="New York City Department of Parks & Recreation 1939">Template:Cite web</ref> Bryant Park is several steps above the surrounding streets, enclosed by a retaining wall. Granite stairs at several locations provide access from the surrounding sidewalks.<ref name="NYCL-0879" />Template:Rp The surrounding area contains numerous structures, including the Bank of America Tower and 1095 Avenue of the Americas to the northwest;<ref name=aia5>Template:Cite aia5</ref>Template:Rp the Bryant Park Studios, American Radiator Building, Engineers' Club Building, and 452 Fifth Avenue to the south;<ref name=aia5/>Template:Rp 461 Fifth Avenue and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library to the southeast;<ref name=aia5/>Template:Rp and 500 Fifth Avenue, the Aeolian Building, and the W.R. Grace Building to the north.<ref name=aia5/>Template:Rp
One of the park's largest features is a large lawn located slightly below the level of the surrounding walkways.<ref name="NYCL-0879" />Template:Rp Besides serving as a "lunchroom" for office workers,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the lawn serves as the seating area for some of the park's major events, such as Bryant Park Movie Nights,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Broadway in Bryant Park,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Square Dance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The lawn's season runs from February until October, when it is closed to make way for Bank of America Winter Village.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Numerous walkways surround the central lawn. The northern and southern sides are each flanked by two flagstone walkways. Each of these walkways is bordered by London plane (Platanus × hispanica) trees, which contribute to the park's European feel. In addition, numerous statues are scattered throughout the park.<ref name="NYCL-0879" />Template:Rp A raised terrace on the eastern side of the lawn, which dates to the construction of the library's main branch, is paved with gray flagstones and red brick. Its centerpiece is the William Cullen Bryant Memorial, which is raised on a pedestal of its own.<ref name="NRHP-66000547">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp
A restroom structure is located at the northern border of the park along 42nd Street.<ref name="Video 2017">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Hu 2017">Template:Cite news</ref> A carousel, installed in 2002, is located at the park's southern border.<ref name="Collins 2002" /> The park is served by the New York City Subway's Template:NYCS trains at 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station, entrances to which are located on the northern and western borders of the park,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as MTA Regional Bus Operations' Template:NYC bus link routes.<ref>Template:Cite NYC bus map</ref>
Art and monuments
Sculptures
Notable sculptures in the park include or have included:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Statue of William E. Dodge (1885), a standing figure located on a pedestal at the park's northern border<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Statue of J. Marion Sims (1894), removed in the 1930s<ref name="The New York Times 1934">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Washington Irving (1894),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> removed in the 1930s<ref name="The New York Times 1934" />
- William Cullen Bryant Memorial (1911), a standing figure located on a canopied pedestal at the park's eastern border<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain (1913), located at the park's western border;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the fountain collects about $3,000 to $4,000 in coins each year, from dozens of countries<ref name="Ruggiero" />
- Bust of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1932), a bust located at the park's southern border<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Statue of José Bonifácio de Andrada (1954, dedicated 1955), a standing figure located on a pedestal at the park's southwestern corner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Statue of Gertrude Stein (1992), a sitting figure located at the park's southeastern corner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Statue of Benito Juárez (2002), a standing figure located on a pedestal at the park's northwestern corner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other memorials
The northwest corner of Bryant Park, at Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street, contains the Heiskell Plaza, a stairway and entrance plaza paved with flagstones. It was placed in 1993 in honor of Andrew Heiskell, a cofounder of the BPC.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The southwest corner of Bryant Park, at Sixth Avenue and 40th Street, is known as Nikola Tesla Corner. Tesla, an inventor, lived in the nearby New Yorker Hotel in his later years, and would feed pigeons in the park.<ref name="Ruggiero" /> The placement of the sign was due to the efforts of the Croatian Club of New York in cooperation with New York City officials, and Ljubo Vujovic of the Tesla Memorial Society of New York.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Carousel
Bryant Park contains a carousel called Le Carrousel Magique, located in the southern section of the park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The carousel was designed by Marvin Sylvor, created by the Fabricon Carousel Company, and installed in 2002. The company was selected after a carousel installation in Bryant Park was approved in 1997. The carousel has a diameter of Template:Convert, weighs Template:Convert, and contains 14 animal casts, of which 12 are capable of moving vertically. In keeping with the French theme of the park, it plays French music.<ref name="Collins 2002">Template:Cite news</ref> It underwent a restoration in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The carousel also has a ticket booth, measuring Template:Convert tall and Template:Convert wide, which was constructed in 1928 and was relocated from Paragon Park in Hull, Massachusetts.<ref name="Collins 2002" />
Restrooms
Template:Main Bryant Park contains a Beaux-Arts granite restroom structure on the northern border, along 42nd Street. There are two facilities, one for men and women, both of which are Template:Convert. These were built in 1911 along with the NYPL Main Branch, but due to the park's landmark status, they cannot be expanded.<ref name="Video 2017" /><ref name="Hu 2017" /> The exterior of each building contains a frieze with garland motifs.<ref name="NRHP-66000547" />Template:Rp After being closed in the mid-1960s, they were restored by Kupiec & Koutsomitis<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and reopened in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The restrooms have been described as being among the city's best.<ref name="Video 2017" /><ref name="Hu 2017" /> A subsequent renovation in 2006 solidified their status as, in the words of then-New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, "the gold standard for park comfort stations."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The restrooms were renovated again in 2017. Following the 2017 renovation, the restrooms contained rotating artworks selected from a collection of 225 works, as well as fresh flowers, classical music, attendants, and automatic toilets and faucets.<ref name="Video 2017" /><ref name="Hu 2017" />
Reading room
The original Reading Room was founded in August 1935 to entertain unemployed workers during the Great Depression.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Started as an initiative by the New York Public Library, the Reading Room provided the jobless with a place to interact and share ideas without having to pay money or show identification. Despite this, the library was well-used, being used by 50,000 people by its first anniversary. Theft was low, with only 34 publications being lost in the library's first year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By its third year, 400 books and 1,000 magazines were in circulation and were being perused by 70,000 people per year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Books from the NYPL, and donations of magazines and trade publications from publishers, contributed to the success of the open-air library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The tradition of Reading Rooms halted in 1944 due to a staff shortage during World War II.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Reading Room tradition was revived in 2003 with HSBC as its first sponsor. Oxford University Press, Scholastic Corporation, Mitchell's NY, Condé Nast Publications, Time Inc., Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., and Rodale, Inc. were among the companies who donated books and publications.<ref name="Hanlon 2011">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition to the complimentary reading materials, in 2004 programming was added to Reading Room's content. The Reading Room features readings and book sales by contemporary writers and poets, plus book-related special events such as book clubs, writers workshops and storytelling for kids.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bank of America Winter Village
Modeled on Europe's Christkindlmarkt, in 2002 Bryant Park introduced the Holiday Shops in an effort to liven up the park space during the winter. Initially slow to gain traction,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Holiday Shops became a fixture of the Manhattan holiday scene in 2005 by adding an ice-skating rink.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Shops also include a Norway Spruce tree,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as a standalone dining and event space.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Kis 2018">Template:Cite web</ref>
Sponsored by Bank of America, Winter Village can be set up within two weeks.<ref name="Ruggiero" /> In September 2016, Bryant Park Corporation announced market makers Urbanspace as the new operator for the Holiday Shops, which grew from 80 boutiques in 2002 to over 170 in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2018, Urbanspace also took over management of the rinkside eatery, rebranding it as The Lodge.<ref name="Kis 2018" /> The Gothamist wrote in 2024 that visitors had mixed views of Winter Village; though tourists and some New Yorkers liked Winter Village's shops and food stands, detractors felt that the shops were overcrowded.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Private operation
The Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), formerly the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation (BPRC),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> manages the park. BPC also oversees the Bryant Park Management Corporation (BPMC), which was created to manage the Bryant Park business improvement district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Although Bryant Park is a public park, BPC accepts no public funds.<ref name="Bagli 2025" /><ref name="Mises Institute 2002" /> It was initially supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, but by the 21st century it received funding through tax assessments on surrounding property within the business improvement district, fees from concessionaires, and revenue from public events.<ref name="Mises Institute 2002">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, the BPC raised about $29 million annually from sources such as rent payments and sponsorships.<ref name="Bagli 2025" /> To obtain accurate data about park usage, BPC counts the number of patrons in Bryant Park at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day.<ref name="Ruggiero">Template:Cite web</ref>
The number of events at the park grew significantly after its reopening, causing some consternation by people who feared that the park would be dominated by private entities, thus would be inaccessible to the public. As a result, BPC makes most events free and open to the public. One exception was the New York Fashion Week shows that formerly took over the park for two weeks in the winter and late summer each year. BPC cofounder Dan Biederman often publicly expressed his frustration that the fashion shows were not under BPC's control. "They pay us a million dollars. It's a million dollars I would happily do without," he told the Los Angeles Times.<ref name="Hotz 2007">Template:Cite news</ref> BPC was particularly frustrated that the fashion shows dominated the park during two crucial times: in late summer, when the weather is perfect for park visitors; and in early February, necessitating the early closure of the park's popular free-admission ice-skating rink.<ref name="Saul 2006">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Clear left
Programming
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Numerous events are hosted on the lawn at Bryant Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bryant Park Movie Nights, begun in the early 1990s, take place on Monday evenings during the summer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Various free musical performances are sponsored by corporations during months with warm weather, including Broadway in Bryant Park, sponsored by iHeartMedia and featuring performers from current Broadway musicals, integrated with content provided by event sponsors.<ref name="Miller 2011" />
The park has various activity areas open all day long, including board games, chess and backgammon, a putting green and Kubb area, an Art Cart, ping pong tables, and Petanque courts. The parks also offer free classes in juggling, yoga, tai chi, and knitting.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 40th Street plaza of the park, there is a station called Bryant Park Games where visitors can borrow an array of games, including Chinese chess and quoits. In addition, chess and table tennis can also be played at Bryant Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Food and drink are served at four park-operated concessionary kiosks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There are two additional kiosks on Fifth Avenue, bringing the total of concessionaires near Bryant Park to six.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Former programming
Formerly, Bryant Park hosted New York Fashion Week (NYFW) shows, which took over the park for two weeks in the winter and late summer each year. NYFW, which moved to Bryant Park in 1993,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was forced to set fees for its shows after Manhattan Community Board 5 disapproved of a free fashion show on the grounds that three-fourths of profits would go to BPC and only one-fourth to NYC Parks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Dan Biederman of the BPC had called the profits from NYFW "a million dollars I would happily do without,"<ref name="Hotz 2007" /> and lamented the fact that NYFW took over the park at two high-traffic periods: late summer and late winter.<ref name="Saul 2006" /> NYFW moved from Bryant Park in 2010 after disagreements with the BPC.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Landmark designations
Bryant Park and the New York Public Library Main Branch were jointly listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1966. Its listing on the NRHP is distinct from the "New York Public Library" on the same day, which covered just the main branch building.<ref name="NRHP-66000547"/> In addition, in 1974, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the park as a New York City scenic landmark.<ref name="NYCL-0879"/>
See also
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
- List of New York City parks
- List of New York City scenic landmarks
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
- REDIRECT Template:Clear
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References
External links
- Template:Official website (Bryant Park Corporation)
- Official NYC Parks website
Template:Protected areas of New York City Template:Midtown South, Manhattan Template:Fifth Avenue Template:National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
- Pages with broken file links
- Bryant Park
- 42nd Street (Manhattan)
- Fifth Avenue
- Midtown Manhattan
- Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
- New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
- New York City scenic landmarks
- Sixth Avenue
- World's fair sites in New York (state)
- New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County