From the Ground Up: Building Bryant Park

From delicious food options and spacious lawn areas to summertime Broadway in the park and wintertime ice skating, Bryant Park is a staple of relaxation in New York. But it wasn’t always like it is today. From the ground up, let us take you back to the Bryant Park of centuries past.

We begin in 1686 when the area that we now know as the park grounds was designated as public property by New York Colonial Governor, Thomas Dongan. Fast forward to some 136 years later, the land came under New York City jurisdiction. Twenty years after that, it was used to create the Croton Distributing Reservoir, a four-acre man-made lake with 50-foot-high and 25-foot-thick granite walls, which was considered one of the greatest engineering triumphs of the 19th century. The New York City Common Council built a public park on the land next to the reservoir in 1846.

Thirty eight years later, Bryant Park was born when it was renamed to honor deceased poet William Cullen Bryant. During the 1920s, the northern half of the park was closed as the contractors building the Interborough Rapid Transit subway tunnel used the park as storage for their equipment. In 1934, the Architects’ Emergency Committee sponsored a contest to redesign the park, ultimately choosing Queens-based architect, Lusby Simpson, to get the job done. Simpson envisioned a classical scheme including a large central lawn, stone pathways, and an oval plaza with a large fountain. The park opened to the public on September 14, 1934.

After a few more renovations and revamps, including the improvement of pathways and lighting and the addition of new restaurants and food kiosks, Bryant Park officially  reopened in April of 1992. Today, Bryant Park’s Le Carrousel and Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain are trademarks of a piece of Manhattan with a history many of us probably weren’t aware of. Thanks to the hard work of developers and architects, we now enjoy Bryant Park as we know and love it.

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