ABOUT THE PARK

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LOCATION

Between Fifth & Madison Avenues, 23rd & 26th Streets

Park Lawns are officially closed until May, 2012

GETTING HERE

Take the R, W, or 6 train to 23rd Street

Weekends:
Take the N train to 23rd Street

HOURS

Daily 6am – 12am

Explore the park with our interactive map

Click on the markers to learn more about the different areas of the park.

16. Shake Shack

The Shake Shack, a “roadside” food stand, serves burgers, hot dogs, frozen custard, beer, wine and more. As part of the ongoing renaissance of the historic park, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group partnered with the Madison Square Park Conservancy to launch Shake Shack in Summer 2004. Designed by SITE Environmental Design, Shake Shack blends harmoniously with the park and its surroundings.

15. Southern Fountain

The design of the Southern Fountain is based on the original Victorian fountain installed in the park in the 1860s. The urns are filled with flowers in the summer months and greenery during the holiday season.

14. The Star of Hope

Installed in 1916, the Star of Hope commemorates the first community tree lighting, which took place in Madison Square Park on Christmas Eve 1912 as a gift to the less fortunate in the City.

13. Senator Roscoe Conkling Monument

Roscoe Conkling was the leader of the New York State Republican Party in the 1870s. The artist is John Quincy Adams Ward, sometimes known as the Dean of 19th-Century American Sculpture.

12. The Metropolitan Life Building

Metropolitan Life Insurance first moved to this location in 1893. Napoleon LeBrun & Sons designed the Tower completed in 1909 — then the world’s tallest building.

11. Eleven Madison Avenue

The limestone structure was originally part of the Metropolitan Life Insurance complex known as the North Building. Planned to be a 100-story building, construction stopped at its present 29 stories due to the Depression. After a $300 million redesign and restoration between 1994-1997, the building was leased to Credit Suisse First Boston.

10. The Appellate Division Courthouse

The Appellate Division Courthouse (1901) was designed by James Brown Lord. More than 16 artists contributed to the sculptural detail on the facade. The pedimental sculpture depicts the world’s great figures of law.

9. The New York Life Building

The New York Life Building (1928) was designed by architect Cass Gilbert, renowned for the Woolworth Building and the Customs House. In 1995, the gold-leaf pyramid tower was restored, re-tiled, and illuminated.

8. Playground

The playground was rededicated in April 2002. It is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. In the summer months, a Playground Associate is on hand to supervise games and activities for the children as well as serve as a safe presence in the playground.

7. Chester Alan Arthur Monument

Designed by George Edwin Bissell, the monument, dedicated on June 13, 1899, honors the first president to be inaugurated in New York City since George Washington. In 1881, Chester Alan Arthur became the 21st president when James Garfield was assassinated.

6. Northern Reflecting Pool

During the park’s restoration, this area was reconfigured as a reflecting pool to complement the historic southern fountain. In the summer it is filled with water and in December holds the park holiday tree.

5. Admiral David Farragut Monument

The Farragut Monument by Augustus Saint Gaudens sits on a pedestal bench by Stanford White. Dedicated in 1881, the monument honors Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, a Union fleet commander and Civil War hero. On October 21, 2002, the Farragut Monument was rededicated after an extensive monument restoration made possible by the Municipal Art Society’s Adopt-a-Monument Program.

4. General Worth Monument

Situated on a small concrete plaza between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, the 1867 obelisk by James Goodwin Batterson marks the grave of Major General William Jenkins Worth, a hero of the Mexican War.

3. Eternal Light Memorial Flagpole

The base of the Eternal Light Memorial Flagpole, erected in 1918, was designed by architect Thomas Hastings. Eternal Light honors the military heroes of World War I and was illuminated for the first time on November 11, 1923. On September 17, 2002, after months of hard work, the Eternal Light star was reinstalled on top of the flagpole thanks to the support of Con Edison, New York City/Parks & Recreation, and Sentry Lighting.

2. The Flatiron Building

The historic Flatiron Building designed by Daniel Burnham and located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway.

1. William H. Seward Monument

Dedicated on September 27, 1876, this sculpture by Randolph Rogers his was the first statue to be installed in the park. William H. Seward served as New York’s Governor and U.S. Senator before being appointed Secretary of State by Abraham Lincoln.