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Bow Bridge
Coordinates	40°46′33″N 73°58′18.6″W / 40.77583°N 73.971833°W / 40.77583; -73.971833
Locale	The Ramble and Lake, Central Park
Characteristics
Design	Classical Greek
Material	Cast iron
Total length	87 feet (27 m)
Longest span	60 feet (18 m)
No. of spans	1
History
Designer	Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould
Construction end	1862
Statistics
Daily traffic	Pedestrian
Location

The Bow Bridge/ˈboʊ/ is a cast iron bridge located in Central Park, New York City, crossing over the Lake and used as a pedestrian walkway.

It is decorated with an interlocking circles banister, with eight planting urns on top of decorative bas-relief panels. Intricate arabesque elements and volutes can be seen underneath the span arch. Its 87-foot-long (27 m) span is the longest of the park's bridges, though the balustrade is 142 feet (43 m) long. While other bridges in Central Park are inconspicuous, the Bow Bridge is made to stand out from its surroundings. The Bow Bridge is also the only one of Central Park's seven ornamental iron bridges that does not traverse a bridle path.

The bridge was designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould, and completed in 1862. It was built by the Bronx-based iron foundry Janes, Kirtland & Co., the same company that constructed the dome of U.S. Capitol Building. The bridge was restored in 1974. The bridge was closed again in November 2023 for a two-month renovation.

See also

• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New York

References

1. "Central Park Map" (PDF). centralparknyc.org. Central Park Conservancy. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
2. "Bow Bridge". Central Park Conservancy. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
3. ^ "19. Bow Bridge". Greensward Foundation. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
4. ^ Spiegler, J.C.; Gaykowski, P.M. (2006). The Bridges of Central Park. Then & Now. Arcadia. pp. 64–66. ISBN 978-0-7385-3861-7.
5. Reed, Henry Hope; McGee, Robert M.; Mipaas, Esther (1990). "The Bridges of Central Park". Greensward Foundation.
6. Heckscher, Morrison H. (2008). Creating Central Park. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-30013-669-2.
7. "Bow Bridge". Central Park. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
8. "Restored Bow Bridge Reopens to Pedestrians". The New York Times. 1974-09-24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
9. "Popular Central Park photo spot closed for repairs: What to know". NBC New York. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
10. Rahmanan, Anna (November 27, 2023). "The iconic Central Park Bow Bridge is officially closed for two months". Time Out New York. Retrieved November 28, 2023.

External links

• Media related to Bow Bridge (Central Park) at Wikimedia Commons
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NY-195, "Central Park Bridges, Bow Bridge, Spanning Lake, Central Park, New York County, NY", 6 photos, 1 data page, 1 photo caption page

v t e Central Park
Manhattan, New York City
Geographical features Cedar Hill Conservatory Garden Conservatory Water Great Lawn and Turtle Pond Harlem Meer Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir McGowan's Pass North Woods and North Meadow The Pond and Hallett Nature Sanctuary The Ramble and Lake Rat Rock Sawkill (historical) Seneca Village (historical) Sheep Meadow Strawberry Fields
Sculptures and public art 107th Infantry Memorial Alice in Wonderland sculpture Angel of the Waters Balto Simón Bolívar Burnett Memorial Fountain Robert Burns Christopher Columbus Cleopatra's Needle Delacorte Clock Duke Ellington Memorial Frederick Douglass Memorial Eagles and Prey The Falconer Fitz-Greene Halleck Alexander Hamilton Victor Herbert Indian Hunter King Jagiello Monument José Martí Giuseppe Mazzini Samuel Finley Breese Morse Romeo and Juliet José de San Martín Sir Walter Scott Seventh Regiment Memorial William Shakespeare J. Marion Sims (moved 2018) The Gates (temporary, 2005) The Tempest Untermyer Fountain Three Dancing Maidens USS Maine National Monument Daniel Webster Women's Rights Pioneers Monument
Other features Arsenal Ballplayers House Belvedere Castle Bethesda Terrace and Fountain Blockhouse Bridges Bow Carousel Central Park Casino (demolished) Cherry Hill Fountain The Dairy Delacorte Theater Diana Ross Playground Fort Clinton Heckscher Playground Lasker Rink Mall Marionette Theatre McGown's Pass Tavern (demolished) Richard Morris Hunt Memorial Rumsey Playfield Tarr Family Playground Tavern on the Green Victorian Gardens Wollman Rink Zoo Zoo York Wall Zoo York
Events Be-Ins The Concert UAE Healthy Kidney 10K New York Mini 10K Concerto: One Night in Central Park Shakespeare in the Park SummerStage
Transport Border roads Frederick Douglass Circle 110th Street Duke Ellington Circle Eighth Avenue Central Park Fifth Avenue Columbus Circle 59th Street Grand Army Plaza Transverses 66th 79th 85th 97th Subway stations Fifth Avenue–59th Street 59th Street–Columbus Circle 72nd Street 81st Street 86th Street 96th Street 103rd Street Cathedral Parkway–110th Street Central Park North–110th Street
Notable figures Elizabeth Barlow Rogers Andrew Haswell Green Jacob Wrey Mould Frederick Law Olmsted Ignaz Anton Pilat Starr Saphir Calvert Vaux Egbert Ludovicus Viele George E. Waring Jr.
Notable animals Barry Flaco Gus Mandarin Patinkin Pale Male Pattycake
Miscellaneous Birdwatching incident Conservancy Jogger case Medical Unit Popular culture
See also: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

• 1862 establishments in New York (state)
• Bridges completed in 1862
• Bridges in Manhattan
• Central Park
• Historic American Engineering Record in New York City
• Pedestrian bridges in New York City
• Iron bridges in the United States
• Arch bridges in the United States