A treasured icon on the Manhattan skyline. O.H. Ammann engineered this timeless bridge and Cass Glbert designed it. When it was built, it doubled the record for the longest span of any bridge in the world; even today it sees the most car traffic of any bridge in the world.

George Washington Bridge

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the Lighting of the George Washington Bridge, designed by Domingo Gonzales (lighting designer) for the millennium celebrations of 2000.

In the wake of the stock market crash of 1987, Arturo Di Modica installed his 7 ton sculpture of a bull in the middle of the night in front of the New York Stock Exchange under the Christmas tree as a 'Christmas Gift to the People of NY'. &nbsp;

Several hours later it was discovered and was promptly impounded into storage in Queens.

Two days later the artist convinced the Parks Department to have it reinstalled at the bottom of Broadway in Bowling Green. It was released after public outcry and the intervention of Henry Stern, then Parks Commissioner, and was temporarily relocated to its current location two blocks away from the Stock Exchange. Sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull, this sculpture represents aggression, financial optimism, and prosperity.

The sculptor Arturo Di Modica spent two years and $325,000 of his own money creating it. &nbsp;

The sculptor Arturo Di Modica with his most famous work, &nbsp;Charging Bull. He spent two years and $325,000 of his own money creating it

New York Stock Exchange

Bowling Green

Charging Bull

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on Charging Bull, located to the north of Bowling Green

In an act of guerrilla art, the Bull was installed on December 15, 1989, in front of the New York Stock Exchange. However, the Bull was not commissioned by the New York City Government and it was promptly impounded. &nbsp;Recorded during the live Great Crashes of Wall Street Tour.&nbsp;

 Martin Puryear's Pylons are placed along the waterfront of the Belvedere, near the Winter Garden. The two pylons are opposite in aesthetics. One is solid and angular; the other is perforated steel mesh that spirals upward. The Pylons are designed to be viewed from either land or water; the two forms stand like columns visually connecting the two. 

  the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy

BPC Esplanade just above the North Cove Marina

Pylons

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on The Pylons, located west of the Winter Garden in Battery Park City. 

The design of the park comprises three main components: a pair of allées that brings pedestrians towards the main park entrance; a pair of pavilions connected by a bridge constituting the main building; and a lawn terrace framed by continuous paths and benches. This “Y” shaped architectural ensemble is the backbone of the park, resting in gardens and fields of grass that connect to the Battery Park City Esplanade and to Battery Park. The building is conceived as a large, over-scaled, massive masonry wall split in the center, framing the view to the Statue. On the wall`s surfaces, a variety of brick patterns are displayed following a precise figurative symbolic strategy. This “lithic” formation is used to develop a pair of large public steps that seemingly prolong the allées and bring the public up to a pair of balconies overlooking the lawn and harbor. From the center of the bridge connecting the two balconies, the viewer`s direct relation to the Statue of Liberty is “face to face.”

The building and the park was demolished as part of the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Project.

Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park occupies a unique site, characterized by its relatively small area located at the center of colossal surroundings. The main function of this public place—and the reason for its existence—is the privileged viewing of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor.&nbsp;

Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park

Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park 

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, located west of Battery Place. 

By 1872 St Barts was large enough to build a new church on Madison Avenue and 44th Street designed by James Renwick, in the Lombardic style.&nbsp;

The building was embellished in 1902–1903 with a triple French Romanesque Revival portal by Stanford White. This stone relief above the entrance to the church depicts a number of Biblical scenes. On the frieze between the doors, New Testament stories are shown: Kings from the East arrive, next is the flight into Egypt, and finally, the betrayal of Jesus and John the Baptist. Old Testament figures--Isaiah and Elijah--are shown in the niches.

By the turn of the century, it had developed significant problems and the Church undertook a new building.&nbsp;

The original Portico's architect Bertram Goodhue modified his design in response to the requirement that the old church portal, beloved by the parishioners, be preserved, with its bronze doors, from the Madison Avenue building and re-erected on the new site.

This Byzantine-style church incorporates a 1903 French Romanesque portal from its previous Madison Ave. location. Designed by Stanford White and funded as a memorial for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the portal features Renaissance-inspired sculpture and ornate brass doors. There are stained glass windows by Hildreth Meire and the city's largest pipe organ. The community house was constructed later by Goodhue's firm after he had died. It cost $5.4 million in 1930. Famous congregants included Lillian Gish and her mother. But by the 1980's many of the parishioners had moved away. The Church needed money and collaborated with a developer who was going to purchase the air rights and erect a tower over the Community House. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court.

St. Bartholomew's Church 

2nd Location

1st location - A plain church

St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church

 This Byzantine-style church incorporates a 1903 French Romanesque portal from its previous Madison Ave. location. Designed by Stanford White and funded as a memorial for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the portal features Renaissance-inspired sculpture and ornate brass doors. There are stained glass windows by Hildreth Meire and the city's largest pipe organ. The community house was constructed later by Goodhue's firm after he had died. 

 Commissioned by the American Merchant Mariners` Memorial, Inc., this memorial was conceived in 1976. In 1988, after an extensive competition, the artist Marisol Escobar (b. 1930), known as Marisol, was chosen to develop her design. Situated off-shore from the north end of Battery Park and just south of Pier A, the monument stands on a rebuilt stone breakwater in the harbor. The bronze figural group and boat are based on an actual historical event; during World War II, a Nazi U-boat attacked a merchant marine vessel, and while the mariners clung to their sinking vessel, the Germans photographed their victims. Marisol developed a series of studio sketches from this photograph, then fashioned a clay maquette as her winning design proposal for the monument. 

Since the Revolutionary War.&amp;nbsp;In World War II alone it is estimated that 700 American merchant ships were lost, and 6,600 mariners gave their lives in this global conflict.&amp;nbsp;

Marisol captured an unsettling realism, drawn from the faded photograph, but also dependent on the ebb and flow of the harbor&amp;rsquo;s tides.&amp;nbsp;One figure, struggling beside the boat, is submerged each tidal cycle, a technical motif that compounds the work&amp;rsquo;s emotional dynamic.&amp;nbsp;Though specific in its imagery, the monument honors the thousands of merchant mariners who have died at sea in the course of our nation&amp;rsquo;s history.

During World War II, a Nazi U-boat attacked a merchant marine vessel, and while the mariners clung to their sinking vessel, the Germans photographed their victims  

Battery Park

American Merchant Mariners' Memorial

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the American Merchant Mariners' Memorial, located in the water just west of The Battery. 

 Together with artist Brian Tolle and landscape architect Gail Wittwer-Laird, 1100 Architect was selected by the Battery Park City Authority to create a memorial commemorating the Great Irish Hunger. On a base of Irish limestone and illuminated glass, the team re-created a rugged landscape comprised of walls with stones from each of Ireland`s 32 counties, abandoned potato fields, and various species of native Irish plants and grasses. From the base`s west side, visitors enter through an ascending passageway that opens into a ruined famine-era cottage. Leaving the cottage, visitors may wander through the fields and overgrown potato furrows. The landscape cantilevers boldly beyond its base, suggesting the courageous journey made by Irish &eacute;migr&eacute;s to America. Within the glass strata of this platform, text is inscribed that recounts the history of the Hunger. 

Passageway connecting the west side to the ruined stone cottage and the roof  Peter Aaron/OTTO.  1100 Architect.

Referred to as&amp;nbsp;An Gorta M&amp;oacute;r&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;Irish, in which over one million starved to death between 1845 and 1852.  Peter Aaron/OTTO.  1100 Architect.

It opens into a ruined famine-era cottage Peter Aaron/OTTO.  1100 Architect.

Irish Hunger Memorial

 Described as a 'little fragment of Ireland' sitting on top of a thin layer of concrete, Dorthea Basile describes the memorial, its features and the famine it commemorates. 

 Artist Brian Tolle won the competition to design the Hunger Memorial which was supposed to commemorate both the Irish Famine itself and address the larger issue of world hunger. Dorthea Basile tells the story behind the competition. 

 Artist Brian Tolle talks about adding inscriptions to the Memorial which was a requirement of the competition and how he elected to create strata infilled with pieces of glass where the text could be placed behind it or changed some time in the future. He also discussed the court cairns or tomb passages at the great court cairns as the inspiration for the passage he created beneath the hill. 

 Artist Brian Tolle describes the construction of the Memorial, beginning with how he decided to 'live' on the Jobsite. Because it was adjacent to the World Trade Center, he goes on to talk about what happened on September 11th and how it impacted the Memorial. 

 In a piece dedicated to hunger awareness, Artist Brian Tolle talks about his ongoing collaboration with sound artists, hunger organizations, historians and even poets to create changing audio content for the Passage. 

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on The Irish Hunger Memorial, located at the North End Avenue at Vesey Street. 

 David Piscuskas discusses the conception of the memorial, the significance of its site, and the way in which it commemorates the Great Irish Famine and continuing problem of global hunger worldwide. 

 Artist Brian Tolle describes the process of how he got the commission for the artwork and selected his team and began to conceptualize the design. 

 Artist Brian Tolle explains the design process behind the memorial beginning with a competition between the finalist artists. He felt that a figurative piece was not appropriate. Instead, he decided to create a sculpture where the emphasis is on the land itself in its natural state. He wanted to add an authentic historic structure so he began a search for a suitable farmhouse with a historian. He talks about how he was finally able to find a house built in 1820 which the family lived in through the 1960&rsquo;s in Attymass Parish (where the first official death from the Famine occurred). The house was given as a gift from the family that stayed in Ireland to the family that emigrated from Ireland. 

Thirty-seven panels of this permanent public artwork are set into the Seawall railing. The project details the ecological and human history of the Battery and the Hudson from the glacial age to the present. The Conservancy raised over $350,000 in private funds and worked with artist Wopo Holup to design, fabricate, and install the sculptural cast iron and bronze panels. Panels--cast iron; two panels--glass; two running bands--bronzeThese lyrical images depict marine, natural, and human history. The panels illustrate the explorations and encounters of New York's diverse populations, showing maritime vessels, and moments in the exciting history of the Battery. It arouses curiosity, enchants the eye, and celebrates New York City's heritage. It is a piece that responds to a singular opportunity to make visible how the flow of the Hudson River, the flow of history, and the flow of people intersect at The Battery, making possible New York's ascent as one of the world's great cities.

the flow of history, and the flow of people intersect at The Battery, making possible New York's ascent as one of the world's great cities.

Admiral Dewey Promenade, Harbor-side Perimeter Railing

River That Flows Two Ways

 The Artist talks about the Hudson River and how the fence depicts the history of the river both above (the events that happened) and below the water line (the fish). 

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the cast-iron fence titled The River That Flows Two Ways, located on the perimeter seawall of The Battery. 

 The Library's rear terrace, designed by Thomas Hastings includes classical ornaments such as garlands, urns, and ram's heads. This is the site of the William Cullen Bryant Memorial. Bryant (1794-1878) was a newspaper editor, one of America's most popular poets, and a civic improver who led the campaign to create Central Park. Herbert Adams, one of the best New York sculptors of his period, created the bronze figure of Bryant. The memorial was dedicated in 1911, at the completion of the library. 

William Cullen Bryant Memorial

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about the William Cullen Bryant Memorial, a bronze statue located in Bryant Park.

Matthew Broderick breaks it down for us through a statistical collage: the facts and figures of Bryant Park.

The statue was initially called Liberty Enlightening the World and was meant as a gift from France to the United States, celebrating the country’s independence. At first, the statue was assembled in pieces, with financing for the project proving to be difficult.The torch-bearing arm was first displayed in Philadelphia at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and the head was exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair in 1878.The statue was completed in France in 1884, but money was still needed to complete the pedestal in New York. Eventually, a donations drive spearheaded by publisher Joseph Pulitzer attracted over 100,000 contributions and the pedestal was finished by April 1886.

Even though it was raining, that did not stop the days worth of festivities for the Statue of Liberty's unveiling where over a million people participated. &nbsp;The day began with a long parade from Madison Square to Battery Park. &nbsp;It was considered the largest parade in New York to date. &nbsp;By the time it reached lower Broadway people working along Broadway opened their windows and spontaneously threw the tape from stock tickers onto the street. &nbsp;From there a flotilla of 300 vessels bedecked in red white and blue sailed to Bedloe's Island for the official ceremony. &nbsp;Dignitaries included President Grover Cleveland. &nbsp;Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi himself was supposed to drop the tarp that covered the crown at a signal from one of his assistants who gave the signal too a little too soon and the statue was unveiled in the middle of a speech by Senator William M Evarts. &nbsp;The events were capped off by a fireworks display. &nbsp;

Cleaned the statue. There was a huge celebration with fireworks

The statue's internal structure of wrought iron trusses is an early example of the skeleton frame engineered by A. Gustav Eiffel. The frame, which at 151 feet equals the height of a 15-story building, supports the exterior copper "curtain wall" of Liberty's garments.<a href="https://culturenow.org/people/the-skyscraper-museum?name=The_Skyscraper_Museum">[1]</a>&nbsp;Located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and liberty. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It became a World Heritage Site in 1984. The island was extensively restored and reopened on July 4, 1986, shortly before the Statue's centennial in October 1986. The island is open to the public.Donated by citizens of France to celebrate Franco-American friendship, the Statue of Liberty is significant for its physical and symbolic characteristics. Richard Morris Hunt prepared the plans for the 89 foot high pedestal; French engineer Alexandre Gustav Eiffel designed the iron framework which supports the copper sheathing. Many consider this frame noteworthy in itself, because of its ability to support an irregularly-shaped structure subject to high winds. Symbolically, the Statue of Liberty reflects the political ideals of the late nineteenth century. It commemorates America's founding principles of liberty, freedom, and opportunity in America for all. More than sixteen million immigrants passed by the Statue of Liberty on the way to the Ellis Island Immigration Station.President Grover Cleveland gave a speech. Mayor Grace presented the freedom of the city. The very first Ticker tape parade followed soon after.A nautical parade began at 12:45 p.m., and President Cleveland embarked on a yacht that took him across the harbor to Bedloe's Island for the dedication. De Lesseps made the first speech, on behalf of the French committee, followed by the chairman of the New York committee, Senator William M. Evarts. A French flag draped across the statue's face was to be lowered to unveil the statue at the close of Evarts's speech, but Bartholdi mistook a pause as the conclusion and let the flag fall prematurely. The ensuing cheers put an end to Evarts's address. President Cleveland spoke next, stating that the statue's "stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man's oppression until Liberty enlightens the world". Bartholdi, observed near the dais, was called upon to speak, but he declined. Orator Chauncey M. Depew concluded the speechmaking with a lengthy address.

Summer 1878 Statue's head and plans for completion placed on display at Paris World's Fair, Exposition Universelle.The torch-bearing arm&nbsp;was first displayed&nbsp;in Philadelphia at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and the head&nbsp;was exhibited&nbsp;at the Paris World&rsquo;s Fair in 1878.

Information booth at base of arm and two persons seen at railing below flame of torch.The torch-bearing arm&nbsp;was first displayed&nbsp;in Philadelphia at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and the head&nbsp;was exhibited&nbsp;at the Paris World&rsquo;s Fair in 1878.

Statue of Liberty National Monument

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island in NY Harbor. 

Historian Barry Moreno details the history of Lady Liberty, from her construction in France to her thousands of tours daily.

 The 70 foot tall sculpture, Joie de Vivre was Mark di Suvero's first artwork in New York City. It was relocated to the recently renovated Zucotti Park in 2005 (the current site of Occupy Wall Street). 

Zucotti Park

Joie De Vivre

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the sculptures Joie de Vivre and Red Cube, designed by Mark di Suvero and Isamu Noguchi respectively. They are combined because of their close proximity and color, causing an exciting relationship between the two. 

Bryant Park is a 9.6-acre public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Just blocks from Times Square and the Theater District and mere feet from the New York Public Library, the park is an ideal resting spot for the thousands of tourists and residents who pass by its boundaries each day. Highlights include the Benito Ju&aacute;rez Monument, the Gertrude Stein Statue, the Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, the Jose Bonifacio De Andrada E Silva Statue, the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain and the William Earl Dodge sculpture. This European-style public park, with ample seating, a symmetrical design, and well-kept trees and lawns is watched over by a massive branch of the New York Public Library. The rehabilitation of the park recaptured a derelict public space by introducing amenities, careful interventions in the landscape and proper maintenance. To draw pedestrian traffic, hedges were removed and openings made in the central lawn's balustrade. New entrances and ramps to the north and south were added, and access points were altered to encourage easy visitation. The park is anchored by four neoclassical food kiosks and the grand-caf&eacute; style Bryant Park Grill and Caf&eacute;, allowing patrons to dine inside, outside and on a roof terrace. These amenities have become a permanent part of the New York Public Library's landscaped perimeter, unanimously approved by the Landmarks Commission and universally praised by visitors.

Bryant Park

A description of various artworks in and around Bryant Park.

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about Bryant Park, discussing its renovation in the 1990s after its takeover by drug dealers during the 70s and 80s. 

Hugh Hardy of H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture discusses his work on the renovation of Bryant Park, from a drug-infested area to a clean and safe community area.

Step below grade at the subway to check out the Arts for Transit work by Sam Kunce -Under Bryant Park' from 2002. According to the Arts for Transit website: -The artist based the project on the idea of systems. In her words, 'People travel the subway system, water and other utility services are delivered by pipes, and plants and trees that provide grace and softness against the city's sharper edges find their way to water and nutrients underground through a system of roots. In a similar way, literature is shared by systems of learning and lending, and many animals inhabit systems of burrows just as humans systematically divide portions of larger habitats above ground."

                                            
                                            
                                            
                                                 Cook+Fox Architects 
                                            
                                        

 Rick Cook discusses the development of the first green skyscraper in Times Square. 

To celebrate the richness of the public art around Grand Central, we put together a walking tour which is modeled on the acoustiguide you might get in a museum.  You can listen to the entire tour below, download it to your ipod, or just a section that interests you. In addition to our narrative, we also recorded Jean Parker Phifer reading excerpts from her book about Bryant Park and some of the sculptures found there and Richard Haas talking about some of the murals he has painted in the area.

Matthew Broderick reveals to us the hidden world of the chess tables, the players, and the strategies.

Matthew Broderick takes us back to his childhood, as well as introduces us to the German writer and poet Goethe.

Matthew Broderick invites us to observe the daily interplay between the City's movers and shakers at the Bryant Park Grill.

Matthew Broderick invites us to come meet him at Bryant Park, located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.

Matthew Broderick helps us to see the park through the eyes of one of its most important and eloquent employees.

Matthew Broderick takes us back in time to an older New York, through the power of the written word.

Matthew Broderick shows us the philosophical path of most enjoyment, through the game of petanque.

Matthew Broderick gives us a new way to appreciate the relationship of the Park and the City. 

 South Cove is an unusual, meditative recess along the waterfront. Considered one of the country's most significant public artworks, the work is the result of a unique collaboration between environmental artist Mary Miss, architect Stanton Eckstut and landscape architect Susan Child. South Cove encompasses everything from- carefully sited rocks, natural plantings, and atmospheric blue lights along the Esplanade -to the water-racked pilings and the large, arching wooden jetty at the southern corner of the cove that extends into the Hudson like a pier. The jetty gently curves inward, back toward shore, as if in meditation of the city from which it sprung. Overlooking the view is a raised metal tower recalling the prow of a boat or the crown of the Statue of Liberty visible beyond. At once dramatic and serene, South Cove is a place where land and water, nature and metropolis, past and present, gently coalesce. 

South Cove Park

South Cove

 Artist Mary Miss, an artist working in the territory between art, architecture and landscape architecture, speaks about her project at the South Cove in Battery Park City- a project she worked on with Susan Child and Stanton Eckstut. The collaboration that created what is today considered one of the country's most significant public artworks begun as "kind of a shotgun marriage" says Mary Miss. 

 South Cove was the result of the Innovative model set up as part of the Master Plan for Battery Park City and includes Stan Ekstut, its architect and master planner as a member of its team with Mary Miss (artist) and Susan Childs (artist). The project covers 3 acres with the goal of making the Hudson River accessible to the public. In fact it was one of the first green spots created along the River as it was transformed from a working waterfront to a more residential/ recreational one. 

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on South Cove, a public art installation west of Battery Place. 

Moveable Type, a media installation displaying various selections of NY Times content, is located in the lobby of the NY Times Building.  This media installation displays various selections of NY Times content and arranges them according to theme.

The New York Times Building

Movable Type

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about Moveable Type, located in the lobby of the NY Times Building. This media installation displays various selections of NY Times content and arranges them according to theme. 

This capsule is made of welded stainless steel, and is described by the artist as resembling a flower. It contains diverse artifacts of the late 20th century and will be permanently on display atop a polished black granite base until the year 3000, at which time the capsule will be opened. Derived from a sculpture series that explores the formal properties of folded spherical frames, the form of the capsule has been sliced through horizontally, forming two halves. The four top segments are hinged to the bottom four. The cavities of the segments are hollow and together contain about 50 cubic feet of storage space, allowing four tall containers to be housed inside. The items were selected from suggestions by visitors to the Museum of Natural History and the New York Times web site. They were treated with preservative, surrounded with a layer of Nanopore insulation,  packed in special steel containers, and sealed.

Located in the entry plaza outside the Columbus Ave pavilion of The American Museum of Natural History

The New York Times Capsule

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about the New York Times Capsule, designed by Santiago Calatrava.

The work of art, Times Square is an invisible, deliberately unmarked area of sound at the north end of the pedestrian island at Broadway between 46th and 45th Streets. Conceived and originally installed by artist Max Neuhaus, it provides a rich harmonic sound texture that emerges from a large underground vault covered by a grating.

Commenting on artwork, Neuhaus has said, "For those who find and accept the work's anomaly, the island becomes a different place, separate, but including its surroundings. People, having no way of knowing that it has been deliberately made, usually claim the work as a place of their own discovering."

Installed by the artist in 1977, the artwork remained active until 1992, when Neuhaus moved abroad. In 2002 it was reinstated with the help of the Times Square Business Improvement District, MTA Arts for Transit, and the Dia Art Foundation, which will assume responsibility for its upkeep.

On Broadway, between 45th and 46th Sts.; near the Broadway - 46th St. subway station

Times Square - Sound Installation

The U.S. Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square signs over 1,000 applicants every year. It has been on this spot since 1946, and was granted indefinite free use of the land it is on in 1950. The current building, which was constructed in 1999, resembles a three-dimensional U.S. flag.The US Department of Defense commissioned ARO to replace their busiest recruiting station, a 500 SF structure located in the heart of Times Square. The challenge was to create a symbol of service that would not be dwarfed in a sea of commerce. ARO designed a carefully detailed stainless-steel building with an American flag of colored fluorescent lights (now replaced with LED lights) illuminating each long facade. The building has become an icon. In 2006, the Municipal Art Society of New York City designated it one of 30 buildings erected in the past 30 years worthy of landmark status.

Times Square

US Armed Forces Recruiting Station

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the US Armed Services Recruiting Station located in Times Square.

Stephen Cassell, principal architect at Architecture Research Office, discusses ARO's renovation of the Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Times Square.

Carpenter's glass sculpture surrounds the escalator in the Hearst Building lobby. Recycled rainwater from the roof runs down into the lobby and flows down glass bricks that descend three stories to the ground floor. 

Hearst Tower

Ice Fall

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about Ice Falls, a 3-story sloped water sculpture located in the lobby of the Hearst Building.

 Inspired by the Harlem Renaissance mural artist, Aaron Douglass, these aluminum relief panels depict Harlem's past and future. The majestic sphinxes flanking the scene are taken from Douglass' work he created in 1926. The skyscrapers, suns, and sphinxes all represent strength as well. This is a MTA Arts for Transit project. 

Located on the east and west facades of the overpass.

Harlem Encore

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about Harlem Encore, a sculpture located on the outside wall of the Metro North Railroad overpass.

Gertrude Stein is an outdoor bronze sculpture of Gertrude Stein, located at Bryant Park. The casting was installed in 1992 and is based on a model created by Jo Davidson in Paris in 1923. It neighbors the New York Public Library Main Branch, which, according to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, commemorates Stein's "significant literary contributions". 

Gertrude Stein

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about the statue of Gertrude Stein, designed by Jo Davidson and located in Bryant Park.

President John F Kennedy dedicated the East Coast Memorial.&nbsp;

This memorial honors the 4,601 missing American servicemen who lost their lives in the Atlantic Ocean while engaged in combat during World War II. &nbsp;Most of them died during the Battle of the Atlantic where the Allies were trying to protect their shipping lanes from the Germans. &nbsp;The monument consists of a large, paved plaza punctuated by eight massive 19-foot tall gray granite pylons (four each on the southern and northern sides) facing the Statue of Liberty onto which are inscribed the names, rank, organization and state of each of the deceased. &nbsp;On the eastern side of the plaza a monumental bronze eagle, sculpted by Albino Manca and set on a pedestal of polished black granite, grips a laurel wreath over a wave--signifying the act of mourning at the watery grave.&nbsp;

In Battery Park, south end of the park, east of Dewey Promenade

East Coast Memorial

East Coast War Memorial

 Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection on the East Coast Memorial, commemorating those who perished in the Atlantic Ocean during WWII. 

James Earl Fraser depicts the president, Theodore Roosevelt, seated high astride a horse, flanked by a Native American man and an African man standing below. Although this image depicts Roosevelt as sympathetic toward Native Americans due to the noble depiction of the man, it was actually the artist who was the sympathetic one. Fraser was exposed to frontier life and witnessed the mass movement of Native Americans from their land onto reservations. The statue has been linked with the image of the American Museum of Natural History and for decades has been seen by many as a problematic depiction of racial hierarchy.&nbsp; &nbsp;

AMNH Special Collections, Photographic Transparency Collection, 35mm: K13175

AMNH Special Collections, Photographic Transparency Collection, 35mm

Museum of Natural History

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

Theodore Roosevelt Equestrian Statue

Jean Parker Phifer, NYC architect and author of Public Art New York, reads a selection about the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, located at the Museum of Natural History.

This may be the first inclusive survey in color of a varied selection of public art in all five boroughs of New York City. &nbsp;

Public Art New York

Related Sites