Belvedere Castle, Gothic folly in Central Park, Manhattan, United States
The Belvedere Castle stands on Vista Rock near the center of the park, built from Manhattan schist and granite in a Victorian style. The structure combines Gothic and Romanesque elements with turrets, a tower, and balconies that overlook Turtle Pond and the surrounding trees.
Architects Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould designed this structure as an ornamental folly and completed it in 1872 without windows or doors, meant purely as decoration for the park. The building fell into disrepair over the decades and was restored in the 1980s with functional rooms added inside.
The name Belvedere comes from the Italian word for beautiful view, reflecting the original purpose of this structure as an observation point over the park. Today the building houses exhibits about wildlife and plants found in Central Park while serving as an information center where visitors can ask questions and find their way around the park.
Access to the tower requires climbing narrow stairs that are not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers. Visitors planning to reach the observation deck should wear sturdy shoes and be careful during wet weather when the steps can become slippery.
The National Weather Service has operated a weather station on the roof since 1919, measuring temperature and rainfall for all of New York City. The official weather data that appears daily in news reports and forecasts comes from this small tower in the middle of the park.
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