Dante Park

Dante Park. . , Dante Park is maned after Italy's great poet, Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). Born to a noble Florentine family, Dante immersed himself in the study of philosophy and Provençal poetry. In 1302 Dante was banished from Florence for his political views and became a citizen of Italy. While in exile, he composed The Divine Comedy, the first vernacular poetic masterpiece. It tells the tale of the poet's journey from Hell to Heaven, presenting a changeless universe ordered by God. Through The Divine Comedy and his many other works, Dante established Tuscan as the literary language of Italy and gave rise to a great body of literature., The park’s bronze monument was dedicated in 1921 (the 600th anniversary of Dante’s death) and was created by sculptor Ettore Ximenes. The New York branch of the Dante Alighieri Society and Carlo Barsotti, editor of Il Progresso (the first Italian newspaper in the United States), raised funds towards the creation of the statue. In 1999 “TimeSculpture” by architect Philip Johnson was installed in the northern part of Dante Park. The work stands out in the midst of the Lincoln Center area and updates the tradition of sidewalk pedestrian and town square clocks in New York City. Prismatic in form, “TimeSculpture” features clock faces oriented to the west, north, and southeast. The piece was donated by the late Sonia and Gedalio Grinberg, History , For many years, the site of Dante Park and the parcel to its north were both considered part of what was known as Empire Park. The parcel was eventually separated into two parks: Empire Park North and Empire Park South. In 1811 the City Commissioners created their extraordinary grid plan, which extended to 155th Street. The design incorporated the meandering path of Bloomingdale Road (now called Broadway) and the points at which this path crossed the new grid became “bowtie” intersections that would develop as centers of activity and typically became small parks. In 1906 the area surrounding the intersection of Broadway and Columbus Avenue was officially name Lincoln Square by the New York City Board of Aldermen., Nearby Parks (www.nyc.gov/parks), Central Park, the first public park in America, encompasses 843 acres with a six-mile perimeter extending from Central Park West to Fifth Avenue and 59th Street to 110th Street. The park, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, was completed in 1873 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and a New York City Landmark in 1974. Central Park has approximately 50 fountains, monuments and sculptures, 36 bridges and arches, 21 playgrounds, spacious lawns, ballfields and much more., Columbus Circle, completed in 1905, is located across from the Maine Monument at the southwest corner of Central Park. The statue at the center, by Italian sculptor Gaetano Russo, is the point at which distances to and from New York City are officially measured. It was erected as part of New York’s 1892 commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas. in 2005 the circle was rebuilt by the City based on a design by the Olin Partnership of Philadelphia, PA, which was the recipient of the 2006 American Society of Landscape Architects’ Design Award of Honor., Damrosch Park, at Amsterdam Avenue and West 62nd Street, was completed in 1969 and is an integral part of the Lincoln Center campus. The park is named for the Damrosch family, unrivaled musicians who contributed greatly to the musical heritage of New York City. The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim bandshell is the park’s focal point with a concrete plaza that holds 3,000 people and serves as the main location for large events., Richard Tucker Park, named after the renowned tenor Richard Tucker, is located between 65th and 66th Streets on Broadway. The park’s bronze portrait bust of Tucker, created by Milton Hebald, sits on an inverted, tapered and polished granite pedestal on which are inscribed the titles of 31 operas in which Tucker performed. In 1979, the monument was unveiled and given as a gift by Tucker’s wife, Sara, and the Richard Tucker Music Foundation. , City of New York Parks and Recreation , Lincoln Square Business Improvement District