BELVEDERE CASTLE
New York City, USA
Belvedere Castle was designed in 1865 by Vaux, Olmsted and Mould during their restructuring of the northern parts of Central Park. An existing fire tower here, the second highest point in the Park, was demolished in 1867 and work began on the Castle in 1869. It was constructed of stone excavated from elsewhere in the Park giving it a very natural look.
Originally the Castle could be seen from most points in the north of the Park, but since the trees surrounding it have now reached maturity it is mainly hidden from view. The Castle is designed as a centre point for various features in the north of the Park such as the Great Lawn and the Turtle Pond which was redesigned in 1997 as a wildlife refuge.
The original wooden parts of Belvedere Castle were all destroyed before 1900 and when the New York Meteorological Observatory moved to the Rockefeller Centre in the 1960s Belvedere Castle was abandoned and left to the mercies of vandalism, neglect and deterioration.
This decline was halted in 1983 and the wooden parts of the building were reconstructed to Vaux’s original plans. Today the Henry Luce Nature Observatory in the Castle is open to the public and is one of the most popular bird-watching spots in Central Park today.
© Text copyright - Raving Loony
Productions and Andrew J. Müller
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2018
