Madison Square
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Image:Madison square new york 1908.jpg Image:Madison Square Park from Above at Night New York City.jpg Madison Square is a six acre (24,000 m²) public park in the New York City borough of Manhattan, named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States and co-author of the United States Constitution. The park is bounded by Madison Avenue (which 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 park is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
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 atop Penn Station at Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets).
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[edit] History
[edit] 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, the park was used as 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.
[edit] 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 at 42nd Street.
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.
[edit] 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 and Admiral David Farragut. Other highlights added later are ornamental fountain added in 1867 and the "Eternal Light Flagpole" built in 1923.
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Historians speculate that in 1875, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Theodore Roosevelt, Herman Melville, and Jennie Jerome were all in Madison Square at the same time.[citation needed]
[edit] Centenial
In 1936 to commerate the centenial of the opening of Madison Avenue the Fifth Avenue Association donated a tree from the the Virginia estate of the former president James Madison. It is planted toward the center of the eastern perimiter of the park.
[edit] 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, including the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
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.
[edit] 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 Con Edison, 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 arches 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 second 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.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
- Worth Square
- Madison Square: The Park and Its Celebrated Landmarks, by Miriam Berman (ISBN 1-58685-037-7)
