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Financial District in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Bowling Green / Sports Museum of America

Exploring Downtown

 
 
Bowling Green Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, June 24, 2009
1. Bowling Green Marker
Inscription.
Bowling Green

This little patch of green surrounded by grand Broadway office buildings survives as New York City’s oldest public park – Bowling Green. It served as a cattle pasture and a parade ground before being designated in 1733 as a bowling green by the City’s Common Council, for the “Beauty & ornament of Broadway as well as for the Recreation & Delight of the Inhabitants of this City.” Bowling Green remains one of the few spots in Downtown that would be recognized today by the Dutch settlers of the West India Company who founded the trading post of Nieuw Amsterdam here in the 1620s.

In 1770, the British chose Bowling Green as the site for a gilded, equestrian statue of King George II – followed in 1771 by a fence meant to protect it from hostile colonists. The statue was pulled down on July 9, 1776 by a revolutionary crowd, after the Declaration of Independence was first read in New York, but much of the fence survives, a rare remnant from Colonial times here on the site of the city’s Dutch origins.

Sports Museum of America

Football, baseball, basketball, soccer – what unites Americans more than our love of sports? Over two dozen of the city’s ticker-tape parades – all passing right by 26 Broadway – have honored athletes, including Olympic teams,
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tennis champions and World Series winners. What better location for America’s first and only museum celebrating every American sport?

As sports means action, this is no ordinary museum. Even rare artifacts cannot fully convey the thrill of a grand slam or a slam dunk – so interactive exhibits put visitors inside the game and on the field. Be a hockey goalie watching an incoming 100-mph slapshot, or a NASCAR driver screaming around a racetrack. It’s all about reliving those glorious goose-bump moments.

Among its many attractions, the Museum houses the Billie Jean King International Women’s Sports Center, the world’s first hall of fame for female athletes, and the original Heisman Trophy.

Canyon of Heroes

Since 1886, with festivities marking the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, Broadway has seen some 200 ticker-tape parades – grand processions of honorees and dignitaries marching north from Bowling Green up to City Hall Park, to the cheers of thousands of New Yorkers lining the sidewalks. The parades have celebrated everyone from presidents, generals and royalty to aviators, veterans, and athletes. That history is now written in stone – literally – thanks to commemorative plaques installed in the Broadway sidewalks. Each plaque identifies the date of the parade and the name of the honoree, spelling out the history that
Sports Museum of America Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, June 24, 2009
2. Sports Museum of America Marker
has transformed Broadway into the “Canyon of Heroes.” You can obtain a history of the parades from the Alliance for Downtown New York, by calling 212.566.6700.
 
Erected by The Alliance for Downtown New York, Inc.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial EraHeroesSportsWar, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1862.
 
Location. Marker has been reported permanently removed. It was located near 40° 42.339′ N, 74° 0.792′ W. Marker was in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It was in the Financial District. Marker was at the intersection of Broadway and Morris Street, on the left when traveling south on Broadway. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: New York NY 10004, United States of America.

We have been informed that this sign or monument is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. May 4, 1928 (a few steps from this marker); October 16, 1928 (a few steps from this marker); May 26, 1930 (a few steps from this marker); 26 Broadway
"26 Broadway" - formerly the Standard Oil Building, presently home of the Sports Museum of America; image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, March 27, 2010
3. "26 Broadway" - formerly the Standard Oil Building, presently home of the Sports Museum of America;
erected 1885 - Francis H. Kimball, architect.
(a few steps from this marker); June 11, 1930 (a few steps from this marker); October 4, 1929 (a few steps from this marker); October 5, 1928 (a few steps from this marker); January 20, 1928 (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
 
More about this marker. Several pictures are on the Bowling Green side of the marker. The top right of the marker contains a photograph of Bowling Green, circa 1907. An engraving of Dutch settlers appears on the left side of the marker. It has a caption of “In 1733 three colonists leased what had become a cattle pasture to build a bowling green.” The bottom of the marker features a picture of “Arturo DiModica’s 7,000-pound bronze Charging Bull, a reference to the bulls (optimists) and bears (pessimists) at the stock market.”
The upper right of the Sports Museum of America side of the marker features pictures of some of the artifacts on display in the museum. They have captions of “The legendary Heisman Trophy – named for John Heisman, one of college football’s great coaches – and its annual award ceremony have found a permanent
Marker in Downtown Manhattan image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, June 24, 2009
4. Marker in Downtown Manhattan
This photo looks north on Broadway.
home at the Sports Museum of America. As Athletic Director of New York’s Downtown Athletic Club, Heisman created the voting system to choose the country’s finest collegiate football player.” and “True baseball fans can reel off statistics about the game’s legendary players, from Ted Williams to Reggie Jackson. Here at the Museum they can admire and touch the stars’ actual bats, gloves, and uniforms.” Below this is a photograph of 26 Broadway. It has the caption “Rising above Bowling Green, following the curve of Broadway, 26 Broadway is one of Downtown’s most dramatic skyscrapers – a great Renaissance palace rising into a skyline-piercing tower, a testament to the power and wealth of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. The tower – best seen not from Broadway but from the harbor – is capped by a giant simulated oil lamp, suggesting the burning oil at the heart of Standard Oil’s vast wealth.” A photograph from one of the parades appears on the bottom left of the marker with the caption “Ticker-tape parades up Broadway’s 'Canyon of Heroes' remain one of the world’s great celebratory events. Millions have crowded Downtown’s narrow streets to cheer on world leaders and champions.”
 
Regarding Bowling Green / Sports Museum of America. The building and park are listed in the "AIA
Marker at Bowling Green image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, June 24, 2009
5. Marker at Bowling Green
Bowling Green and the Charging Bull statue can be seen in this photo behind the marker.
(American Institute of Architects) Guide to New York City, Fifth Edition".
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Take a tour of the markers in lower Manhattan erected by the Alliance for Downtown New York, Inc.
 
Also see . . .  Wikipedia entry for 26 Broadway. (Submitted on March 29, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
 
Bowling Green Fence image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 5, 2008
6. Bowling Green Fence
This fence, erected in 1771 by the Common Council, still stands at Bowling Green, New York's earliest park.
Broadway's Charging Bull image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, June 24, 2009
7. Broadway's Charging Bull
Arturo DiModica’s 7,000-pound bronze Charging Bull is located in Bowling Green, across the street from the marker.
Plaque from the Canyon of Heroes image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, June 24, 2009
8. Plaque from the Canyon of Heroes
This plaque commemorates a parade in honor of General Douglas MacArthur that took place April 20, 1951.
Teddy Roosevelt Commemorative Plaque image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, June 24, 2009
9. Teddy Roosevelt Commemorative Plaque
The parade held on June 18, 1910 was for former President, and New York City native, Theodore Roosevelt on his return from an African safari.
Bowling Green / Sports Museum of America Marker former location image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Larry Gertner, February 5, 2019
10. Bowling Green / Sports Museum of America Marker former location
The marker is one of several replaced by directional, rather than informational, steel columns.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,117 times since then and 9 times this year. Last updated on March 22, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on June 25, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.   3. submitted on March 29, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.   4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on June 25, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.   10. submitted on February 5, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024