Vintage Images of Bowling Green New York

Bowling Green is the oldest public park to be established in New York City. The Dutch called it “the Plain”. It marked the beginning of Heere Staat (High Street, now Broadway). In 1686, the site was designated as public property under municipal domain. On March 12, 1733, a piece of land of the area was leased to make a bowling green, with walks therein for the recreation and delight of the inhabitants of the City. The wrought iron fence that surrounds the park was installed in 1771 to protect the statue of King George III, erected by the British government. This statue was pulled down, in 1776, following a reading of the Declaration of Independence. In April, Washington set up headquarters at the Kennedy Mansion, in the same site of the Washington Building, on Bowling Green.

Around the 1830s, a decorative fountain was installed in the center of the Park.

The Great Fire on July 19, 1845 destroyed many buildings in the area. The Adelphi Hotel, one of the tallest commercial buildings in the City, with six floors, was consumed by fire (on the right in the picture below).

In 1896, it was installed in the Park a monument to Abraham de Peyster, New York’s first mayor (1691 to 1694), by the artist George Bissell. The statue was removed in 1972. In 1907, the building for the Custom House was completed. In the 1930s, the Park was rebuilt. In 1976, Bowling Green was restored to its 18th-century appearance. A new fountain was installed in 1977. In 1989, the Park received a bronze sculpture of a Charging Bull, representing aggressive financial optimism and prosperity.