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Home , Bryant Park, Empire State Building, The Bryant, Town square

Manhattan’s Square Urban Arts and Culture Guide: Sherry, Rebecca, Sunreet, Ingrid Professor D. Hoffman IDC 1003H

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History Part I

In 1686, Bryant Park was established as public property by Thomas Dongan, the governor of . After the defeat of the in 1776, George

Washington and his troops crossed Bryant park. In 1823 the

turned the park into a place where unidentified bodies

would be buried, a potter’s field. Several years later the

under the park were excavated and it was turned into

the Croton above-ground freshwater reservoir, next to which

stood the Latting Observatory Tower. The Observatory and

adjacent Crystal were major tourist attractions in the

area, and beginning the year of construction, 1853, the

Observatory Tower became the tallest structure in , at 315 feet surpassing the record previously held by Trinity Church. The Palace was based on the Great Exhibition of 1851, an international museum for manufactured goods (Peloro).

It was a room with a large glass ceiling that allowed for beautiful views of the sky and together the two provided some of the first observational platforms in the city. Both structures unfortunately burned down just three years later in 1856.

In 1863, building racial tensions and the looming civil war caused the city to become a battleground, played out in the Civil War Draft Riots, which resulted in the burning down of the

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Colored Orphan Asylum. In 1884, in honor of the abolitionist and editor William

Cullen Bryant, the park was given its current name and was barely changed as well. In 1900 the reservoir was demolished and two years later the construction of what is now the main branch of the began. It wasn’t completed until 1911 and the construction of it involved the excavation of the ground under the park to make space for book storage.

nd With the expansion of the subway system new 42 ​ subway tunnel, the ​ Interborough Rapid Transit, was created and part of the park was closed in 1920. The equipment was stored in the park and almost a decade later there was a contest to redesign the park. A replica of was built in the park in 1932 for the 225th anniversary of Washington’s inauguration. In 1934 a design by was selected that would have walkways with trees and a fountain in the plaza. This was to create a safe and inspiring space for the people of the neighborhood.

However, the park would soon fall into despair again. In 1969 the park played host to the

New York City rally against the Vietnam war as part

of the Moratorium to End the Vietnam War. The rally

was attended by roughly 40,000 people and featured

speakers such as then mayor of New York City, John

Lindsay, Woody Allen, Shirley MacLaine, Eli

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Wallach, and performers including Peter, Paul, and Mary. This would be the parks last notable use as it fell victim to crime and neglect. By the 1980s, Bryant Park had earned the nickname

“Needle Park”, among many others like it in the city, because of its high rate of drug users and prostitution, fueled by the parks secluded design. In 1988 the city, in a joint effort with Park Corporation which now owned the park, launched an initiative to restore the park once again. It became a frequent gathering place for white-collar workers from surrounding office building who gathered there for lunch outings, and earned its nickname “’s ”. The

new park was held as a shining example of the

1990s public park revivals and starting in 1993,

Bryant Park became the official venue of New

York Fashion Week, hosting a myriad of shows

every early fall and late winter. In 2011 after the

corporation realized that the shows were interfering with crucial times of park visits, the fashion shows moved to another venue and Bryant park was free to host their own events and continue to be a place for leisure.

Throughout its history Bryant Park has been home to a handful of notable residents. It was written about by Edgar Allen Poe, as a must-see spot in the city, from which you could see both the East and West sides clearly. One local resident was Tony Conrad, an avant-garde artist,

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filmmaker, and musician. It was Conrad who documented the 1969 rally against the Vietnam War. Most notably, near the end of his life, the park was favored by famed scientist

Nikola Tesla as a place to relax and people watch. Tesla grew particularly attached to the pigeons he spent years feeding, even referring to one white pigeon as the love of his life. To commemorate his attachment to the park, the

th th city renamed the intersection of 40 ​ Street and 6 ​ Avenue ​ ​ “ Corner”.

Part II- Cultural Events and Institutions at Bryant Park

Throughout the year, Bryant Park hosts

many exciting outdoor programs such as

reading sections, summer art series, ice

skating rink, free classes, and more. The

program varies all year round.

In the winter, sponsors the Winter Village, where the park is decorated into a winter wonderland with its free admission to the ice skating rink, holiday shops for delicious cruises and special gifts for the holidays. The Winter Village programs include many special events such as the

Scavenger Hunt, Santa's Corner, Tree

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Lighting Skatetacular, Storytime, Trick-or-Treating, Tasting Tuesday, and Winter .

Bryant Park also has aspects of aesthetic arts and local culture from drawing workshops to an outdoor film screening for over 10,000 people. New York City is known for its beautiful skyline with and bustling square with cinemas, electronic billboards, and theatres. Bryant Park has popular shows that bring the best of Broadway outdoor to the public.

Another one of the cultural events is the Barefoot Ball in July. This year, the Barefoot

Ball event featured dance and music with the legendary DJ

Grandmaster Flash by Hannah

Bronfman. People can enjoy open bars, food stands, and various curated activities to captivate the audiences. In essence of its art and cultural activities, Bryant Park also presents contemporary dance, music festivals, bands, and performs opera and Shakespeare's play.

One of the most known events is the HBO

Bryant Park Summer Film Festival.

Thousands of local residents would come

together and enjoy classic films with

families and friends under the star on the

big screen. This event is a great melting pot

of NYC that highlights the beauty of

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diversity in its population and where people all come together to enjoy a good film.

The Painter in Residence is an artistic program where four residential artists create a representational imagery of Bryant Park's landscape. The paintings capture the visual records of the recreational park. Additionally, Bryant Park also hosts its Square Dance. In 2017, the Square

Dance's theme was country music which they had do-si-do and promenade at the dance party.

In addition to these programs, the park has a Reading Room. The New York Public

Library, an institution right in Bryant Park, opened the "Open Air Library" where anyone can enjoy reading materials of newspapers, magazines, books and children's literature.

Aside from the art and cultural activities, the park has many classes and workshops in fitness, games, language, and tour. Bryant Park has its own boot camp where participants are trained by professionals in an intensive workout. There are also more lenient and relaxing fitness classes such as fencing for beginners, lemon dance, tai chi, and yoga. People can also have the option to have small tours around the around the park and birding tour. Some specific classes include beekeeping, fly fishing, language classes, knitting juggling, arts, and crafts. During its weekly craft class, the park provides free adult craft classes to learn the basics of painting, embroidery, and origami.

The park has many games for the public such as bingo, Friday picnics, game socials, musical chairs, ping pong tournaments and Tuesday Night Trivia.

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Some people may also view Bryant Park as a

mini amusement park for their kids. The Le

Carrousel has 14 custom-built animals where

children can enjoy riding the

merry-go-round. Children can also stop by

the kids' reading room for storytelling.

Parents can even have birthday parties for their children. The park also have special events like

Tricks and Treats, puppet shows, storytime and magic shows at Le Carrousel.

Part III- Worth A Visit

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is a part of The New

York Public Library system, which is located right next to

Bryant Park. This building is known for its historical

collections as well as its purpose of providing library services

for the free and equal access to all people. This library houses about 15 million items, including contemporary novels and poetry, medieval manuscripts, ancient

Japanese scrolls, along with dime novels, comic books, and baseball cards. Since its opening in

1911, this library symbolizes the democratic ideal of free and open access to knowledge. It houses well-distinguished collections in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. Millions of visitors come from around the globe to access the many resources that the Stephen A.

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Schwarzman Building houses. There is an audio tour device available from the visitor’s desk in

Astor Hall. This tour is available in both Spanish and English and runs for about 30-45 minutes.

th Bryant Park hotel is located on West 40 ​ street. It has obtained a status as an ​ that foreshadowed both the Chrysler

building and the Building. It has its

beginnings as headquarters of American Industry

(American Radiator Company) to its present

epitome as a boutique hotel in the beautiful

Bryant Park. Hood designed an Art Deco headquarters building for the American Radiator Company which soon merged with the Standard

Sanitary Corporation in 1929. Today, vaulted tile ceilings of the former showroom provide a ​ ​ moody ambiance to the Hotel’s elegant and sophisticated Cellar Bar. 38 years after the merger, ​ ​ the building was renamed the American Standard Building and was listed in the National

Register of Historic Places in 1974. Then in 1998, investor and entrepreneur Philip Pilevsky ​ ​ bought the building for $15 million and took measures to convert it into a hotel. British designer ​ ​ and architect David Chipperfield was chosen as the designer for the project. This 76-year-old ​ ​ ​ ​ office building was renovated into the

130 room Bryant Park Hotel.

Chipperfield restored exterior features to preserve its original look.

An example of this is the black brick with gold ornament and dramatic

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lighting. The interior of the hotel contains contemporary luxuries based on travelers demand. The building’s lobby was renovated to have a burgundy leather finish on the walls. This building is as sophisticated as Hood’s design, but now has a contemporary feel that brings vitality to it. It stands out from other buildings due to its mix of the past and present features and history.

Bryant Park Hotel is located steps away from the New York Public Library and Bryant

Park as well and is in close proximity to

Macy’s and . This four-star hotel

contains 128 air-conditioned rooms featuring

minibars and flat-screen tvs. There is also

wireless Internet access, designer toiletries and

hair dryers, complimentary newspapers, and phones with free local calls. Amenities include a nightclub, a 24-hour fitness center, and concierge services. This excellent city hotel is great for sight-seeing and is located near shopping areas.

The Bank of America Tower is located at One

Bryant Park and is seen as one of the most environmentally advanced skyscrapers in the world. It can be seen to have a postmodern architectural style.

Completed in 2010, this 51-story office tower takes up

2.35 million square feet. This tower contains The Durst

Organization’s headquarters as well as Bank of

America’s global corporate and investment banking

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businesses and other reputable tenants. This skyscraper was the first in North America to have

LEED Platinum. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and LEED

Platinum certification is a national certification system which encourages the construction of energy and resource-efficient buildings that are healthy to live in. Features that this building includes are backup emergency generators, green roofs, an ice cooling system, and a 4.6 megawatt combined heat and power plant. This building emphasizes fresh air, daylight, and a connection to the outdoors. There is an Urban Garden Room at the base of the Bank of America

Tower. This indoor space contains garden sculptural elements and plenty of natural lighting. It’s an indoor that occasionally hosts live performances.

Bryant Park during the winter is definitely worth experiencing. of the Bank of America Winter Village at

Bryant Park contains a 17,000 square foot rink featuring free admission to ice skating.

These high-quality rental skates cost $20 whereas the express skates cost $30. There are also free skating shows, special events, and activities held at this skating rink. For those who cannot skate, a skate aid can assist you for $22 per hour. This ice rink provides an alternative to the crowd at the Rockefeller ice rink. The Bank of America Winter Village also has holiday shops which feature both food and artisanal boutiques. The Holiday Shops are designed for custom-designed kiosks. These shops offer beautiful decorative goods, delicious eats, and distinctive apparel.

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Adjacent to the Bank of America Tower is a sleek 50 story building, the W. R. Grace

Building. This large and modern building was designed by SOM’s Gordon Bunshaft in 1974 for

the W.R. Grace chemical company and it has an

international architectural style. This building was also

used by the Deloitte & Touche, LLP. This building today

houses a number of companies. The Grace Buildings

tenants include law firm Cooley LLP, Bain & Company,

and Steptoe & Johnson LLP. Along with this, this

building has a highly efficient core-design, express mail

service, casual dining options, business services, and is

LEED Silver Certified. LEED is based upon a points

system, and the more points earned, the higher the rating.

A building requires at least 40 points for certification, and LEED Silver Certification means that the building has 50-59 points earned. The building front is covered with travertine marble. In order to achieve a safe environment, visitor access to the Building is restricted. Tenants use the

42nd street entrance after-hours and on non-business days. More information about Building entry can be found on their website.

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Works Cited

"Architectural Evolution: Bryant Park Hotel through the Years." Atlas New York, 14 Feb. 2016, ​ ​ www.livinggotham.com/atlas/architectural-evolution-bryant-park-hotel-through-the-years

/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2017.

Miller, Lauren. “History of Bryant Park in New York.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite ​ ​ Information Network, traveltips.usatoday.com/history-bryant-park-new-york-52780.html.

Peloro, Victoria. “Bryant Park.” , Victoria Peloro, ​ ​ blogs.shu.edu/nyc-history/2016/06/01/bryant-park/#_ftn4.

Ruggiero, Nina. “Secrets of Bryant Park.” Am New York, AM New York, 21 Aug. 2014, ​ ​ www.amny.com/secrets-of-new-york/secrets-of-bryant-park-1.9106351.