Bowling Green (New York City)
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Bowling Green, shown in a composite photograph taken from the steps of the U.S. Custom House looking north along Broadway. |
Bowling Green is a small public park in
Lower Manhattan at the foot of
Broadway next to the site of the original
Dutch fort. It is the oldest existing public park in
New York City. At the present time, it is probably most known for being the location of the sculpture
Charging Bull.
The park is a wedge-shaped plaza, formed by the splitting of Broadway into two forks, the eastern of which becomes Whitehall Street and the western of which becomes State Street after Broadway terminates. A portion of the park is a fenced-in grassy area with tables and chairs that are popular lunchtime destinations for local workers in the nearby
Financial District. As of 2006 there is a fountain and a pool.
The south end of the plaza is bounded by the front entrance of
Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, which currently houses the New York branch of the
National Museum of the American Indian and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan Division). Previously there was a public road along the south edge of the park, also called "Bowling Green", but since this area was needed for a modern entrance to the subway station, the road was eliminated and paved over with cobblestones. If weather permits, there are official food stands in this area once or twice a week, as well as many unofficial vendors selling
grey-market goods (and occasionally
pirated or
wiktionary:knockoff goods).
The park has long been a center of activity in the city going back to the days of
New Amsterdam in the
17th century, when it served as cattle market and parade ground.
In
1733, the local government laid out a bowling green and offered it for rent to three local residents for one peppercorn a year.
In
August 21,
1770, the
British government erected a 4,000 pound (1,800 kg) gold-plated leaden statue in the plaza depicting
King George III mounted on horseback and dressed in
Roman garb in the style of the
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius. The statue had been commissioned in
1766, along with a statue of
William Pitt, to the prominent
London sculptor
Joseph Wilton.
The statue was very unpopular with the public. In
1773, the city passed an anti-graffiti and anti-desecration law to counter vandalism against the monument, and a fence was built around it (which still exists as of 2006). On
July 9,
1776, after the
Declaration of Independence was read to
Washington's troops at the current site of
City Hall, a mob of local citizens rushed to Bowling Green where they toppled the statue. The crowns that topped sections of the surrounding fence were knocked off, as well. The event is considered one of the most enduring images in the city's history. According to folklore, the statue was chopped up and shipped to a Connecticut foundry to be made into some 40,000 Patriot bullets. Parts of the statue are preserved in the
New-York Historical Society. The event has depicted over the years in several works of art, including an
1859 painting by artist
Johannes Adam Simon Oertel.
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The Charging Bull currently in display at the north end of the Bowling Green park. The trees of the park can be seen in this 2006 photograph behind the statue. |
Evacuation Day with much revelry commemorated for many years in New York City the 1783 departure of the last British troops from the United States following the success of the
American Revolution. Legend has it that wounded British pride resulted in the nailing of a
Union Jack to a greased flagpole in Bowling Green prior to the departure. After numerous attmepts by others, a boy was supposedly able to tear down the offending symbol and replace it with the
Stars and Stripes before the British ships left from view. George Washington made his triumphal return to the city the same day. Competitions to remove a Union Jack from a greased pole became part of annual celebrations in the following years.
Following the Revolution, elegant townhouses were built around the park, which became largely the private domain of the residents. By
1850, the general northward migration of residences in
Manhattan led to the conversion of the residences into the shipping offices, resulting in full public access to the park.
The park suffered neglect after
World War II, but was restored by the city in the
1970s and is now one of the most heavily traveled plazas in the city.
In
1989, the sculpture
Charging Bull was installed in the park by the
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation after it had been confiscated by the police following its illegal installation on
Wall Street. The sculpture has become one of the beloved and recognizable landmarks of the Financial District.
Bowling Green is also the name of a
New York City Subway station on the
IRT Lexington Avenue Line, the entrances of which are located in and next to the plaza.
*
Canyon of Heroes*
Where is King George's head?*
Abandoned Stations: Bowling Green*
NYCfoto.com Recent photos of Bowling Green
