Bryant Park
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Bryant Park
Thomas Tarangioli |
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Introduction to the From Bryant Park to Grand Central Walking Tour
Thomas Tarangioli |
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The Renovation of Bryant Park
Jean Parker Phifer |
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Bryant Park Renovation
Hugh Hardy |
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Bryant Park Introduction
Matthew Broderick |
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Bryant Park Chess Tables
Matthew Broderick |
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Bryant Park Le Carrousel
Matthew Broderick |
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Bryant Park The Grill
Matthew Broderick |
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Bryant Park Guard Kiosk
Matthew Broderick |
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Bryant Park Reading Room
Matthew Broderick |
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Bryant Park Petanque
Matthew Broderick |
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Bryant Park The End
Matthew Broderick |
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William Earl Dodge
Bryant Park
About this Tour Stop...
Leaving the Library and continuing along 42nd, you should come across a statue of William Earl Dodge completed by John Quincy Adams Ward in 1885 (351 on the art map). Known as the -Christian Merchant' because he was very successful in business but mindful of his moral responsibilities, William Earl Dodge was one of the founders of the Young Men's Christian Association. He also served as the President of the National Temperance Society. The sculpture came about because after he died, his friends came together to erect a commemorative statue. Michelle Cohen in -Manhattan's Outdoor Sculpture' says that it was symptomatic of a growing desire to honor admired citizens in public statuary which she calls a -departure from the artistic geniuses, generals, and statesmen usually comemorated'. He was originally placed on a pedestal by Richard Morris Hunt in Herald Square, but was moved in 1941 to this location. There was a Richard Morris Hunt drinking fountain that served as the original pedestal which was lost in the move. Continuing east around the perimeter of Bryant Park, you will see on the north-east corner another full figure statue-this one of Benito Juarez, sculpted in 2004 by Moises Cabrera Orozco, labeled (223 on the art map). The newest monument in Bryant Park, this statue of Benito Juarez was a gift from the State of Oaxaca to the City of New York. The statue, handcrafted by Moises Carera, is the first Mexican figure to be placed in the city of New York. Juarez is a Mexican national hero and Mexico's first president of Indian descent. Revered by his countrymen as a great political leader, Juarez proclaimed the -Reforma Law,' thus establishing the foundation for the Mexican Republic and preserving the independence of Mexico. As you turn left down 6th avenue heading downtown, look into the park's western gateway to see the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain (15 on the art map) created by Charles Adam Platt and dedicated in 1912. Lowell, who was born in 1843 and died in 1905, was a social worker and the founder of the Charity Organization Society. After one block, take another turn towards 5th Avenue so you continue to border the park. Two busts on this southern side of the park should catch your attention. The first is a bronze bust of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German writer who lived from 1749 to 1832. The German sculptor Karl Fischer created this bust in 1832, the year of Goethe's death. The Goethe Club of New York purchased it in 1876 and donated it to Bryant Park in 1932, the centenary of the writer's death. Another bronze bust can be seen just to the west of the Bryant Memorial. Sculptor Jo Davidson created a bust of the American writer Gertrude Stein in 1920, now in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The Bryant Park bust is a cast made from the original. Also take note of the Wendell Wilkie Memorial plaque as you walk along the side-wall.
Public Art in Midtown
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