Post by Agency on Nov 6, 2007 3:28:17 GMT -5
While it was still a wilderness, New York's colonial governor Thomas Dongan designated the area now known as Bryant Park as a public space in 1686. George Washington's troops crossed the area while retreating from the Battle of Long Island in 1776. Bryant Park was a potter's field (a graveyard for the poor) from 1823 to 1840, when thousands of bodies were moved to Ward's Island.
By the 1970s, Bryant Park had been taken over by drug dealers, prostitutes and the homeless. It was nicknamed "Needle Park" by some due to its brisk heroin trade, and was considered a "no-go zone" by ordinary citizens and visitors. From 1979 to 1983, a coordinated program of amenities, including a bookmarket, a flower market, cafes, landscape improvements, and entertainment activities, was initiated by a parks advocacy group called the Parks Council and immediately brought new life to the park -- an effort continued over the succeeding years by The Bryant Park Restoration Corporation, which had been founded in 1980 by a group of prominent New Yorkers, including members of the Rockefeller family, to improve conditions in the park. In 1988, a privately funded re-design and restoration was begun by the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation under the leadership of Daniel A. Biederman, with the goal of opening up the park to the streets and encouraging activity within it.
In 1992, the new Bryant Park re-opened and was an instant and spectacular success, immediately attracting local workers and tourists to it.
On days when the weather is nice, Bryant Park is a popular spot for area office workers to eat lunch. Several dining spots are located in the park, including Bryant Park Grill, Bryant Park Café and 'wichcraft.
In the summer of 2002, the Bryant Park Wireless Network was launched, allowing free WiFi internet access within the park. More than 50,000 users per year use this feature.
New York Fashion Week is held in tents in Bryant Park each September and February.