Bethesda terrace
Bethesda Terrace
Bethesda Terrace is not the center of Central Park but it is the centerpiece. Both Olmsted and Vaux hoped that people of all backgrounds would be drawn to this breathtaking place, though for different reasons. Vaux was English and in love with the idea that all Americans were theoretically born equal. Bethesda Terrace would show everyone how much alike they were. Olmstead was born wealthy and thought that the poor would finally learn how to properly behave if they could watch how the upper classes conducted themselves.
This is perhaps the most filmed place in the Park. This is where Santa’s sleigh clipped the tip of the angel wing in Elf, where Giselle sings “That’s How You Know” in Enchanted, and Kevin escapes the ‘bad guys in Home Alone II. Other movies include, Avengers, Ransom, Friends With Benefits, The Producers, Angels in America, and One Fine Day.
The Angel of the Waters
The famous Angel of the Waters statue was designed by sculptor Emma Stebbins. For the first time in New York City’s History, a woman received a major art commission. Officially Stebbins was celebrating the opening of the Croton Aqueduct 30 years earlier which brought fresh water to NYC. Privately, the design might have been influenced by the fact her partner, a famous actress named Charlotte Cushman, was sick with breast cancer. The two had what was called a Boston Marriage – the word uptight Victorians used to describe two women who lived together and held hands. Stebbins was designing the statue at the same time she and Cushman were frequenting ‘healing’ springs in an effort to save her life.
Nova Scotia Sandstone
There are a wide variety of themed carvings throughout Bethesda Terrace, designed by Jacob Wrey Mould. Most are pastoral in nature and describe what country life is like as the seasons change, and days become night. The exception? There is a carved pair of ice skates. You probably won’t find it without a tour guide.
