Grand Army Plaza (Manhattan)

Brief Information

59th Street cuts Grand Army Plaza into two separate halves, and because of this the plaza reads not as a single empty open space, but as a pair of urban stages at the edge of Central Park. The southern part is connected with The Plaza Hotel, while the northern part is connected with the southeastern corner of the park and the Sherry-Netherland skyscraper.

The name of the plaza is connected not with the ceremonial character of the place, but with the memory of the Army of the Potomac, which took part in the Civil War. The idea was proposed by the sculptor Karl Bitter in 1898, and construction was completed in 1916. Therefore, what matters here is not only the intersection and the neighboring buildings, but also how the commemorative images are distributed across the two halves of the plaza.

What to Notice First

It makes sense to compare the two parts of the plaza as a pair of different accents. On the southern side is the Joseph Pulitzer Fountain: at its center stands Pomona with a basket of fruit, so here the memorial plaza appears through an image of abundance and decorative water. On the northern side stands the gilded statue of William Sherman: the general sits on horseback, while Victory moves before him with a palm branch. This group directly connects the plaza with the military memory embedded in its name.

The surroundings also help make the structure of the place readable. The southern half adjoins The Plaza Hotel, while the northern half adjoins the corner of Central Park and the Sherry-Netherland. The result is a simple principle for looking around: one street divides the plaza, and two sculptural landmarks show how an urban ceremonial facade, the park, and the memorial theme exist side by side.