A Public Space in the Heart of Manhattan
Anchoring a diverse and vibrant live-work community, Madison Square Park is both an intimate neighborhood park and an international destination for 60,000 daily visitors. A public space since 1686, the park has been a gathering place for people from all walks of life for centuries. Today, it is also a public garden, urban forest, wildlife habitat, public art exhibition space, a haven for children and pets to play, and one of New York City’s most transcendent and welcoming places.
Since 2002, the park has been managed by Madison Square Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that raises 100% of the park’s operating budget.
History
- 1600s
- 1800s
- 1900s
- 2000s
- 2020s
- 1600s
- 1800s
- 1900s
- 2000s
- 2020s
pre-1600s
The Lenape people were the original inhabitants of Manhattan.
1624
The Dutch established New Amsterdam, which later became New York City, on the homeland of the Lenape people.
1686
The first City Charter of New York City designated the area that today includes Madison Square Park as public land.
1807
The United States Army uses the land as a parade ground to train soldiers and constructs an arsenal to house munitions.
1811
The Commissioners' Plan of 1811 establishes Manhattan's iconic grid and designates Madison Square as the largest public space in the city, known as the Grand Parade.
1839
A farmhouse at what is now 5th Avenue and 23rd Street is converted into Madison Cottage, a popular roadhouse, tavern and inn.
1842
Amateur baseball teams use a vacant block just north of the park to play games. Not long after, Alexander Cartwright codifies the game's rules and designs uniforms for his team, the New York Knickerbockers.
1847
Madison Square Park officially opens as a public park.
1857
General William Jenkins Worth is buried at Worth Square. Along with Grant's Tomb, Worth Square is one of only two city monuments that double as a mausoleum.
1870
Madison Square Park is redesigned in its current form by William Grant, a civil engineer, and Ignatz Pilat, an Austrian landscape architect.
1876
To raise funds for completion of its base, the Statue of Liberty's right arm and torch are displayed in the park for six years, with public access for a fee.
1876
The NY & Harlem Railroad depot is converted into the original Madison Square Garden, located at the northeast corner of 26th Street and Madison Avenue until 1889.
1902
The Flatiron Building is erected one block southwest of the park. It soon becomes one of New York City's most iconic landmarks.
1909
The landmark Met Life Tower at the corner of Madison Avenue and 23rd Street is completed. It's the tallest skyscraper in New York at the time and features an iconic clock tower.
1912
The first public Christmas tree in the United States is displayed in Madison Square Park.
1923
On Armistice Day, November 11, 1923, the Eternal Light Monument is first lit to honor the return of United States Army and Navy troops from World War I.
1997
After several decades of unfortunate neglect, the City Parks Foundation launches the "Campaign for the New Madison Square Park," the precursor organization to the Madison Square Park Conservancy.
1998
Renowned chef and restaurateur Danny Meyer opens Eleven Madison Park. This addition shapes the neighborhood and puts our community on the map as a global culinary destination.
2001
The park holds its first public art exhibition. It's the first of many.
2003
Madison Square Park Conservancy is formed.
2004
Shake Shack opens its first-ever location in the park. Designed by world-renowned architect, James Wines, this burger joint is a modern-day roadside restaurant.
2015
The Fountain just south of the Oval Lawn is restored to the glory of its past. It can once again spout water as high as it did in the 1800s.
2017
Madison Square Park registers its highest yearly total visitation mark ever, with over 3.5 million visits that year.
2018
The area around the Eternal Light Flagstaff is renovated to give the monument the prominence it deserves and to make a more inviting entrance into the park for visitors.
2018
Madison Square Park is awarded a Level 1 Arboretum Accreditation for its "development, capacity, and professionalism." There are a total of 322 trees within the park's seven acres.
2019
Madison Square Park organizes sculptor Martin Puryear's exhibition at the Venice Biennale. In 2016, Puryear exhibited "Big Bling" in the park.
2019
The base of William H. Seward Monument is replaced and restored with Arno granite, which is suited to withstand the elements.
2021
Today, Madison Square Park is a green jewel in the midst of the city. Its restored beauty and purpose has given rise to a new birth of business and residential development, ensuring future generations the opportunity to enjoy its natural splendor.
2021
Madison Square Park is awarded Level 2 Arboretum Accreditation for its continued diversity of species, collections policy, and enhanced public programing.
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Land Acknowledgement
Madison Square Park is located on Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape (Delaware) people. We recognize that this land was forcibly taken, resulting in the displacement and genocide of the Lenape (Delaware) Nations. Madison Square Park Conservancy respectfully acknowledges the Lenape (Delaware) people – past, present, and future – who continue to live, work, and connect to this land.
The Conservancy honors the Lenape (Delaware) people, the original stewards of this land, through our commitment to a series of sustainability and restoration initiatives. In the coming years, we aim to reduce our carbon imprint, promote sustainable land management, and reintroduce to the park species of fauna and flora indigenous to Lenapehoking.
Discover Madison Square Park
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