Bryant Park

Bryant Park is a public park in Midtown Manhattan that sits between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and covers roughly 10 acres (4 hectares). A central lawn is framed by rows of trees, seating areas, and seasonal flower beds, while gravel paths run through the space and connect to the surrounding streets.

The area served as a potter's field from 1823 before becoming a reservoir site and later a public square in the mid-nineteenth century. The renaming after poet William Cullen Bryant occurred in 1884, and several redesigns in the twentieth century shaped the current park layout.

The name honors William Cullen Bryant, a journalist and poet who championed public parks in the nineteenth century. Today office workers use the lawn for lunch breaks while summer evenings bring outdoor film screenings that gather audiences on the grass.

Several subway lines stop nearby, including the B, D, F, M, and 7 trains, making access easy from different parts of the city. Entrances are located on all four sides, and the park remains open year-round with events varying by season.

The New York Public Library borders one side directly and lends the park a literary character that shows in outdoor reading rooms and book stalls. Below the lawn sit library storage stacks that create a connection between green space and knowledge.

Location: Manhattan

Inception: 1842

Official opening: May 23, 1967

Part of: New York Public Library and Bryant Park

Website: http://bryantpark.org

GPS coordinates: 40.75381,-73.98361

Latest update: December 13, 2025 15:37