Bryant Park - Photo #9 - Historic Photos

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bryantpark1934c
Image: New York City Parks Department Archive
Bryant Park September 14, 1934, being set up for its reopening ceremony after redesign and reconstruction by New Deal architects, engineers, and relief workers. Visible features include the Lowell Fountain on left (moved from the far side of the park for the new design) with chairs for the audience and a speakers' platform; the green in the middle with some new ornamental hedges; the new plane trees (still babies) around the green; new walkways; stairs visible at lower right if you click the Enlarge button; the Bryant Memorial at the far end of the green against the rear of the New York Public Library and before it new steps and balustrades; a new service building in the lower right corner. People are queued up on 42nd Street and 40th Street waiting for admission to the cermony. Compare with the view from 1931. The Sixth Avenue El tracks are seen at the bottom.