bryant park

my office is located in the seagreen glass metlife building at the southwest corner of 42nd street and sixth avenue. directly across the street is the gorgeous bryant park, which houses a number of tasty restaurants, food stands, and public seating, and hosts a variety of activities throughout the year, including and ice skating rink and holiday shops in the winter and yoga and movies on the great lawn in the summers. 

last summer, i actually took a week-long photography class at the international center of photography, located just a block north of the park, and we visited the park daily for our photo assignments. there are local new yorkers taking a coffee break, mothers pushing their young children in strollers, tourists looking for a place to rest, vendors peddling their handmade goods, and homeless people scattered throughout the public spaces at bryant park, all contributing to its life and colorful atmosphere.

i decided to do a little reading up on the park which i walk through almost on a daily basis. it turns out it's existed much longer and endured many more milestones than i could have imagined.

1686: the area known as bryant park was wilderness 

1823-40: designated a potter's field (a graveyard for the poor), after which the bodies were excavated and moved to ward's island

1847: renamed reservoir square, named after the neighboring 4-acre man-made croton distributing reservoir located at 42nd st and fifth avenue. the croton distribution reservoir was new york city's foremost watersource surrounded by 50 ft high and 25 ft wide granite walls which served as public promenades providing panoramic views of the city.

1878: construction of the sixth ave elevated railway began, casting a shadow over the park

1884: renamed bryant park to honor the new york evening post editor william cullen bryant

1899: reservoir structure was removed and construction of the new york public library building began

1930s: park suffered neglect and considered disreputable

1933-34: redesigned as a great depression public works project and the great lawn, hedges, and iron fence were added

1938-39: the sixth ave el was was closed on december 4, 1938 and razed in 1939

1969: 40,000 person rally held as part of the nationwide moratorium to end the war in vietnam

1970s: taken over by drug dealers, prostitutes, and homeless, and considered a "no-go zone" by ordinary citizens and visitors

1979-83: coordinated program of amenities, including book and flower markets, cafes, landscape improvements, and entertainment activities was initiated by the parks council

1988: bryant park restoration corp privately funded a redesign and restoration of the park

2000s: bprc added a custom-built carousel and revived the tradition of an open-air library, the reading room

and finally ..

josephine shaw lowell memorial fountain: the black granite memorial commemorates social worker, josephine shaw lowell, who founded the charity organization society. it is made of stony creek granite and bronze and was installed at the east side of bryant park in 1913. it was relocated to the west side of the park in 1936. in 2009, the fountain was winterized with the installation of an internal electric heating system, enabling it to be left on in subzero temperatures and gather icicles.

happy lunar new year!