Bowling Green Park

 park, place with historical importance

New York City's Bowling Green is the oldest park space in the city. The park is bordered by Broadway on both sides, but the west side becomes State Street and the east side becomes Whitehall Street. The Alexander Hamilton US Customs House (Cass Gilbert, 1907) faces the park on the south side. The park dates from the 1630s. Before the American Revolution (1770) an equestrian statue of King George the III dressed in Roman clothing stood on this site. On July 9, 1776 after the Declaration of Independence was read to Washington's troops at the current site of City Hall, the lead statue was toppled and shipped to Connecticut to be melted down into bullets. Sections of the statue still exist including two pieces on exhibit at Fraunces Tavern.

In the 1600s the park served as a cattle market. In 1677 the city's first public well was dug in front of the old fort at Bowling Green. A portion of the park is fenced in grassy area with tables and chairs, very popular for lunch among local workers. The south end of the plaza is linked to the entrance of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House. Also, in 1989 the sculpture of the charging bull by Arturo Di Modica was installed at the northern tip of the park. The sculpture has become one of the beloved landmarks of the Financial District.

www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/park_info_pages/park_...


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