The Belvedere Castle was designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould and was originally used as a lookout. The Belvedere Tower was the home for the New York Meteorological Observatory, founded by Dr. Daniel Draper in 1868. It is now used by the United States Weather Bureau. 

on Vista Rock next to Shakespeare's garden in Central Park

Belvedere Tower

Ross Lewis, NYC artist, discusses his temporary piece that was once located at Belvedere Castle in Central Park.

This structure was originally designed as a watering trough for horses during the 19th century and provided people on horseback or in carriages with a place to rest, admire the view of the lake and water their animals. The water gently sprays out of either little gold flowers into a circle of gilded black goblet shaped bowls. As the water overflows, it spills onto a granite dome before gently dripping into the sculpted bluestone basin inset with Minton tiles. Crowing the 14-foot high tower are eight frosted round glass lamps and a golden spire. After 16 years of not functioning as a fountain, operation of the fountain was restored in 1998.

west of Bethesda Fountain on top of Cherry Hill

Cherry Hill Fountain

 The Croton Fountain was placed in the center of City Hall Park to celebrate the Croton Aqueduct, New York City&rsquo;s first dependable supply of pure water. The aqueduct drew water from the Croton Dam more than 40 miles (64 km) north of the city and was considered one of the great engineering feats of the 19th century. 

In 1871 the Croton Fountain was replaced by a new fountain designed by Jacob Wrey Mould, co-designer of Central Park&rsquo;s Bethesda Fountain, which became the centerpiece of the smaller park.The pool and column on the City Hall Park Fountain are made of granite, while the candelabra is made of cast bronze.

Square pool with candelabrum at each corner; central column consisting of circular basin with umbrella above, surmounted by fixture

The aqueduct drew water from the Croton Dam more than 40 miles (64 km) north of the city and was considered one of the great engineering feats of the 19th century.

City Hall Park

City Hall Park Fountain

The Arsenal is a symmetrical brick building with restrained Gothic Revival details, located in Central Park near the Central Park Zoo at 64th Street and Fifth Avenue. Built between 1847 and 1851 as an armory for the New York State Militia, it predates the park itself and is the second-oldest surviving structure in Central Park. The building features brick laid in English bond, a fortified central block, and flanking half-octagonal towers. Its carved doorway displays martial symbols, including a bald eagle, cannonballs, sabers, and pikes.&nbsp;Once threatened with demolition, the Arsenal was repurposed and renovated in the 20th century. Today it houses offices for NYC Parks and related organizations, the Arsenal Gallery, and the Central Park Zoo. Over time, it has also served as a zoo, police precinct, weather bureau, and temporary home for the American Museum of Natural History. The original Greensward Plan for Central Park is preserved on its third floor.

Jacob Wrey Mould, the Architect responsible for much of the ornamental detail at Bethesda Terrace and elsewhere in the park, remodeled the Arsenal interior in 1870.

From 1914 to 1924 the Manhattan Parks Department operated out of the newly built Municipal Building in Lower Manhattan and the Arsenal deteriorated to such an extent that in 1922 a headline in the New York Times read: “Parks Arsenal a Near Ruin.”At that time the City appropriated $75,000 for an overhaul of the Arsenal. Most of the space was set aside for Parks Department offices. During reconstruction an underground spring and a secret passage were discovered (the latter possibly from the building’s days as an arsenal, for the undercover transfer of arms). The restoration was completed in 1924.

The Arsenal underwent another complete renovation in 1934 as the first and only headquarters of a citywide unified Parks Department. Inside, the lobby is adorned with floor-to-ceiling murals by Allen Saalburg depicting Civil War–era New York scenes. Saalburg depicted a series of scenes depicting recreational activities, notable park structures, and flagship parks.&nbsp;

Located in the historic Arsenal Building in Central Park, the Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, New York City parks, and park history through a diverse schedule of art and history exhibitions. Committed to providing unaffiliated artists, independent curators, and non-profit organizations with an accessible exhibition venue, the Arsenal Gallery welcomes proposals for solo or group exhibitions. The building features a massive mural in its lobby funded by the Works Progress Administration.

Central Park, View of the Arsenal Building

Soutward from the Arsenal 5th Avenue &amp; 64th St.

Arsenal

This impressive museum was built in the Romanesque Revival style with pink granite, a barrel-vaulted ceiling, and marble floors.

The Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History houses the Museum’s new graduate program in comparative biology, the first museum program in the United States to grant PhDs. Occupying the top floor of the historic 1891 museum building designed by Josiah Cleveland Cady, the School includes a student lounge, a 25-person teaching lab, administrative offices, and a 50-person lecture hall. The project provides a home base for graduate students now scattered throughout the complex as well as a new identity for the program within the restored historic fabric of the building. The School is located along the “Golden Corridor of Science,” the monumentally scaled hallway that stretches more than 600 feet of the Museum’s upper floor. The heart of the complex is a double-height student lounge, ringed with a mezzanine with individual study carrels. A glazed wall opens the lounge to the corridor.

The original Hayden Planetarium, built in 1935, at the American Museum of Natural History was the fourth planetarium in the US. Designed by Trowbridge and Livingston, it sported an Art Deco concrete copper-covered dome, reflecting confidence in scientific progress. Inside, the planetarium housed state-of-the-art instruments, including the Zeiss II projector financed by Charles Hayden. The dome's interior was acoustically remarkable. The structure also featured an array of murals and an auditorium that projected past and future skies. The shows, blending science and optimism, aimed to soothe Depression-era fears. In WWII, the planetarium also assisted in training military personnel.&nbsp;

The Rose Center for Earth and Space redefines the identity of this venerable cultural and academic institution for the 21st century while respecting the historic architecture of the designated landmark. Along with the Arthur Ross Terrace, the Weston Pavilion and the renovated Theodore Roosevelt Park, The Rose Center completes the Museum’s north side. The iconic sphere, housed within a glass cube, contains the state-of-the art Hayden Planetarium and “Big Bang” theater, whose program describes the origins of the universe. The building itself is designed as a learning tool, as a visible expression of the science it contains. Its extraordinary curtain wall, structural system and lighting, its use of materials and color, its open planning and single, striking volumetric expression all reveal to the visitor an iconic example of building technology and science that makes this new building a worthy complement to the existing museum and an effective expression of the institution’s scientific and educational mission.

The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, the latest expansion of New York's historic American Museum of Natural History, responds to the urgent need for better science understanding and access to education. Created from within, the design enhances the Museum's functionality and visitor experience throughout the campus. The project establishes a new, accessible entrance and a strong east-west axis, creating over thirty connections between ten buildings and replacing former dead ends with continuous circulation. The Gilder Center introduces new exhibitions, education, collections, and research spaces, unveiling previously behind-the-scenes functions to the public and revealing the Museum's diverse collections and ongoing scientific research. Inspired by natural processes, the architecture mirrors a porous geological structure shaped by wind and water, with a central five-story atrium welcoming visitors. The atrium is supported by structural walls and arches that carry the building's load. Constructed with shotcrete, a technique used for infrastructure, the building boasts a seamless, visually unified interior that extends outward, harmonizing with the park and neighborhood. The atrium promotes energy efficiency by channeling light and air, and passive cooling is achieved through stone cladding, shaded windows, and vegetation. The Gilder Center, with its advanced environmental strategies and commitment to the natural world, exemplifies the Museum's mission.

AMNH Special Collections, Photographic Transparency Collection, 4 x 5

The American Museum of Natural History in New York City is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, designed by Studio Gang and set in Theodore Roosevelt Park, connects 10 buildings across the Museum’s four-block campus, establishing continuous pathways to enhance visitor circulation.

Interior - early illustration -1877. New York City. The Presidential Visit - President Hayes participating in the opening ceremonies of the Museum of Natural History, Manhattan Square, Eighth Avenue and Seventy-Ninth to Eighty-First Street, on Saturday, December 22nd

Verso: The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial at the American Museum of Natural History was erected by the people of the State of New York as a tribute to a famous son who served as its Governor and later as the 26th President of the United States - a man who was renowned, also, for his interest in natural history and conservation. The architecture of the Memorial is in the classic style, the facade of which is set off by four iconic columns 54 feet high. Surmounting these columns are statues of Boone, Audubon, Clark, and Lewis, pioneers in the early exploration of our country. A bronze equestrian statue of Theodore Roosevelt by James Earle Fraser stands in front of the entrance. Giant Post Card. The American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Series Code: 77746-B. Publisher: Dexter Press, Inc.

Verso: Mr. and Mrs. J Meade, Oak Island, Babylon, Long Island Dear Mr. and Mrs. Meade: We sent you a bag of stale bread for your chickens. Keep in a dry place. We are all well and hope you are the same. Louise

AMNH Special Collections, Photographic Transparency Collection, 35mm

AMNH Special Collections, Photographic Negative Collection, 8 x 10

AMNH Special Collections, Photographic Negative Collection, 4 x 5

AMNH Special Collections, Photographic Transparency Collection

AMNH Special Collections, Photographic Negative Collection, 5 x 7

Drawing of Hayden Planetarium interior, by Hugh Ferris of Trowbridge and Livingston, Architects, New York, May, 1934

American Museum of Natural History

Todd Shlieman talks about the Rose Center for Earth and Space- a new paradigm for planetaria based on transparency, openness and connectedness. The architect shares his excitement about being able to provide a vessel and an inspiration for learning about the universe through the design of his building.  


The day after the Grant family decided on the site, Jacob Wrey Mould designed a temporary tomb.

 This memorial to Ulysses S. Grant, victorious Union commander of the Civil War, includes the tomb of General Grant and his wife, Julia Dent Grant. A West Point graduate, Grant served in the Mexican War and at various frontier posts, before rapidly rising through the ranks during the Civil War. Grant's tenacity and boldness led to victories in the Battles of Vicksburg and Chattanooga and Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, scenes depicted by mosaics in the tomb. In 1866 Congress awarded Grant his fourth star making him the first full General of the Armies. A grateful nation twice elected Grant to serve as President of the United States, from 1869 to 1877. Grant's accomplishments include signing the act establishing the first national park, Yellowstone, on March 1, 1872. After the Presidency, Grant settled in New York City. Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885 in Mount McGregor, New York, and was laid to rest in New York City on August 8th. Approximately 90,000 people from around the country and the world donated a total of over $600,000 towards construction of his tomb, the largest public fundraising effort ever at that time. Designed by architect John Duncan, the granite and marble structure was completed in 1897 and remains the largest mausoleum in North America. Over one million people attended the parade and dedication ceremony of Grant's Tomb, on April 27, 1897. Overlooking the Hudson River from Morningside Heights, General Grant National Memorial is both the final resting place for Civil War hero and 18th president Ulysses S. Grant and a memorial to his life &amp; accomplishments. Designed by architect John Duncan and completed in 1897, the National Park Service maintains Grant's Tomb, which is the largest mausoleum in North America. Duncan's ambitious original design, chosen by the Grant Monument Association, included monumental staircases leading down through terraced gardens to a dock on the river. 

Photographic Negative by John B. Trevor (b. 1878). Digital Scan by Bronson Trevor III (b. 1976) - Circle Century Collection

General Grant National Memorial

After the Grant family chose the burial site, architect Jacob Wrey Mould quickly designed a temporary tomb for Ulysses S. Grant. The tomb had a rectangular layout with a cross facing the Hudson River and was surrounded by brick walls with a vaulted roof. Grant's coffin was placed slightly below ground level. Construction began on July 29, 1885, and finished in nine days. Grant was interred on August 8, after a funeral that drew up to 1.5 million mourners.

A British architect, illustrator, linguist and musician, noted for his contributions to the design and construction of New York City's Central Park. He was "instrumental" in bringing the British High Victorian style of architecture to the United States, and was a founding member of the American Institute of Architects.

Engraving of Mould from A Description of the New York Central Park

Jacob Wrey Mould

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