Free previewStop 5 of Central Park Walking Tour: The Pond to Belvedere Castle
Capitol Dome Ironworkers Build a Footbridge
You're standing at Bow Bridge, the long, low span of cast iron that crosses the Lake just west of Bethesda Terrace. Look along its side and you'll see why it has that name. The whole bridge curves in one gentle arc, like an archer's bow laid on its back across the water. Now bring your eyes to the railing, that lacework of iron running the full length of the span. That railing is the heart of this story.
The man behind it was Calvert Vaux, the architect who designed Central Park with Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted shaped the land. Vaux shaped almost everything you walk across, under, or lean on. With his assistant, Jacob Wrey Mould, a designer with a gift for ornament, Vaux created 35 structures for this park, and he gave every one its own distinct style. No two bridges alike.
That was not the obvious choice.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 5 of Central Park Walking Tour: The Pond to Belvedere Castle (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
