Bethesda Terrace īethesda Terrace and Fountain form the northern end of the Central Park Mall. The Conservancy began restoring the tiles for $7 million in 2004, and the tiles were reinstalled in 2007. The tiles sat in storage for more than 20 years until the Conservancy received a private donation for their restoration. Mayor Ed Koch declared in June 1987 that the tiles would be restored. Instead, the Commission approved the commission of a ceiling mural in its place. The Mintons encaustic tiles of the arcade ceiling were removed in the 1980s renovation because the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission deemed the tiles too costly to restore. Parts of the balustrade were removed for cleaning and restoration. Resodding, and 50 new trees, 3,500 shrubs and 3,000 ground cover plants specified by Philip Winslow followed in 1986. The terrace was restored in 1982, its stonework disassembled, cleaned, deteriorated surfaces removed, restored, patched, and reset. The fountain was restored in 1980-1981 by the Central Park Conservancy as the first part of its plan to renovate Central Park. By the early 1980s, the stonework had decayed or been damaged the ceiling of the arcade was leaking and frost and trees' roots had caused many of the floor surfaces to crack. Bethesda Fountain was completely dry by then. During this time the site became a congregating spot for the hippie generation before devolving into a drug-trafficking venue in the 1970s. It was closed in preparation of restoration work, which did not begin for several years. Restoration Īfter being abandoned for years except used as a bicycle-rental spot, Bethesda Terrace became a site for The Fountain Cafe, an outdoor luncheon restaurant between 19. The Bethesda Fountain was officially completed in 1873. The original plans had called for marble and bronze figures to be installed on the upper level, but those were not executed. The upper level of the Terrace was mostly built by 1867, by which time the Fountain's figures were being cast in bronze. In 1864, the stonework of Bethesda Terrace was completed except for minor details, and the Central Park commission hired a sculptor to design the figures for the Fountain. The stonework to be installed in the terrace arrived in 1862, and the masonry of the fountain was installed by 1863. By the end of 1861, work on Bethesda Terrace was well underway. Only two major structures besides the Bethesda Terrace were completed during the Civil War: the Music Stand and the Casino restaurant, both demolished. In Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted's 1858 Greensward Plan, the terrace at the end of the Mall overlooking the naturalistic landscape of the Lake was simply called The Water Terrace, but after the unveiling of the angel, its name was changed to Bethesda Terrace.Ĭonstruction of the terrace and fountain occurred during the American Civil War.
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