Central Park Bridges, Bow Bridge, Spanning Lake, Central Park, New York, New York County, NY

Significance: Designed by Calvert Vaux, the Bow Bridge is one of the most prominently located and visible cast iron bridges in Central Park. It is 87 feet, four inches long. This and other cast iron bridges in Central Park are among the very first built of that material in America. The J.B. and W.W. Cornell Foundry was the contractor. Restored in 1974 with funds provided by Lila A. Wallace and Lucy G. Moses, this graceful arch has been described by New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger as seeming "to pour over the water."
Survey number: HAER NY-195
Building/structure dates: 1859 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1974 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000538