Madison Square
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Madison Square looking East, 1908. |
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Madison Square looking South, December 2005. |
Madison Square is a 6 acre (24,000 m²) public park in the
New York City borough of
Manhattan, named after
James Madison, fourth
President of the United States and co-author of the
United States Constitution. The park is bounded by
Madison Avenue (whcih starts at the park's southeast corner),
23rd Street, 26th Street,
Fifth Avenue, and a diagonal section of
Broadway. Immediately southwest of the park is the
Flatiron Building, one of the oldest of the original New York skyscrapers, and just to its east is the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower at 1 Madison Avenue (1909), the tallest building in the world until 1913, when the
Woolworth Building was completed.
The square was made famous around the world by
Madison Square Garden. The "garden" had nothing to do with flowers. It was a sports arena located near the square, at 26th Street and Madison Avenue, designed by the noted
Beaux-Arts architect Stanford White. The square was once known as "Diana's little wooded park" in reference to the bronze statue of the Roman goddess atop the tower of White's arena. When the arena moved to a new building at 50th Street and
Eighth Avenue in 1925 it kept its old name. (Madison Square Garden, now in its fourth incarnation, is located at
Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets).
Early America
Before becoming a national, and then an international celebrity because of sporting events Madison Square was an important gathering place for New Yorkers. Madison Square first came into existence as a public space in 1686, when the governor of the
Province of New York Thomas Dongan revised the
city charter.
In 1794, a
potter's field. However, it was relocated only a few years later to
Washington Square Park in 1797. The
United States Army's arsenal called this area home by 1811, but fell out of use by 1825 when it became a home for young
transients. The Arsenal was destroyed by fire in 1839.
A public park
On
May 10,
1847,
Madison Square Park opened to the public. Its borders consisted of Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, 23rd Street and 26th Street. In 1853, plans were made to build the
Crystal Palace here, but strong public opposition and protests caused the palace to be relocated to
Bryant Park.
Large celebrations have been at home in Madison Square. In 1876 a large celebration was held to celebrate the centennial of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence. From 1876 to 1882, the torch and the arm of the
Statue of Liberty were exhibited in the park in an effort to raise funds for the building of the base of the statue.
1870 relandscaping
The square was relandscaped by Chief Landscape Architect
Ignatz Pilat and
William Grant after the 1870 development of the
Department of Public Parks. The new design is what brought in the sculptures that now reside in the park. One notable sculpture is that of
Secretary of State William H. Seward, who was the first New Yorker to have a monument erected in his honor. Other statues depict
Roscoe Conkling,
Chester Alan Arthur, General
William J. Worth, Admiral
David Farragut. Other highlights added later are ornamental fountain added in 1867 and the "Eternal Light Flagpole" built in 1923.
Modern period
According to
Nathan Silver's 1968 book
Lost New York, there was a plan in the 1960s to build a parking garage underneath the park. Construction was successfully blocked by preservationists, who cited concerns of the damage that the excavation would cause to the park, particularly the roots of its many trees.
More recently, Madison Square Park underwent a complete renovation which was completed in June of 2001. To recapture the park's magnificence, Parks asked the City Parks Foundation to organize a revitalization campaign. Funds for capital construction were provided by the city as well as several corporations that have offices in the surrounding area, such as
MetLife.
Madison Square Park is now an oasis of greenery and relaxation surrounded by historical landmarks. It is also the location of
Shake Shack, an extremely popular outdoor restaurant serving family style food.
Notable historical events
*America's first community
Christmas tree was illuminated in Madison Square Park on
December 24,
1912.
*On
November 11,
1923,
Armistice Day, the
Eternal Light Monument was dedicated in Madison Square Park to commemorate the return of United States Army and Navy troops from
World War I. In September 2002, after a major restoration, the Eternal Light star was reinstalled thanks to the support of
ConEdison,
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and
Sentry Lighting.
*Beginning in 1876, the arm and torch of the
Statue of Liberty were displayed in Madison Square Park for six years to raise funds for construction of the statue and base.
*The block to the northeast of the park (the east side of
Madison Avenue between 26th and 27th streets) was home to the first (1876-1889) and second (1890-1925)
Madison Square Gardens.
*Many believe that Madison Square Park is the birthplace of
baseball, since
Alexander Cartwright formed the first baseball club, the
New York Knickerbockers, here in 1845.
*In 1873,
P.T. Barnum began hosting his circus in an abandoned railroad depot on Madison Square.
*In 1889, two temporary archs were erected over Fifth Avenue and 23rd and 26th streets for the centennial celebration of
George Washington's first inauguration. The original
Washington Square Arch was built at the same time.
*At the time of its completion in 1909, the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower was the tallest building in the world.
*In 1908 the
New York Herald installed a giant searchlight among the girders of the MetLife Tower, directly across from the park, to signal election results. A northward beam signaled a majority for Republicans. A southward beam signaled a majority for Democrats. The beam went north - and Republican
William Howard Taft became president.
*On
October 17,
1966, a fire across the street from the park at 7
23rd Street, resulted in the most deadly building collapse in the history of the
New York City Fire Department, when twelve
firefighters were killed. Two chiefs, two lieutenants, and six firefighters plunged into the flaming cellar, while two more firefighters were killed by the blast of flame and heat on the first floor. They were: DC
Thomas A Reilly, Div3; BC
Walter J Higgins, Bat7; Lt
John J Finley, Lad7; Lt
Joseph Priore, Eng18; Fr
John G Berry, Lad7; Fr
James V Galanaugh, Eng18; Fr
Rudolph F Kaminsky, Lad7; Fr
Joseph Kelly, Eng18; Fr
Carl Lee, Lad7; Fr
William F McCarron, Div3; Fr
Daniel L Rey, Eng18; and Fr
Bernard A Tepper, Eng18.
*
The Madison Square Park Conservancy*
MADISON SQUARE PARK at NYC Parks*Madison Square: The Park and Its Celebrated Landmarks, by Miriam Berman (ISBN 1586850377)
