New Book "Central Park NYC" Includes Old Blog Photo of Bethesda Terrace and Fountain

Paris-based architectural watercolor artists, Andrew Zega and Bernd H. Dams  published a new book, "Central Park NYC: An Architectural View", an exquisite exploration of Central Park's extraordinary pavilions, memorials, and monuments, sculptures, bridges, and arches, gates and rustic shelters, gardens, lakes, and meers, and a 3,500-year-old Egyptian obelisk in historic photographs and extraordinary watercolors by the authors. The authors also chose archival and contemporary photographs of the most beautiful and beloved structures from the park's 160-year history. Included in the selection is a black-and-white image of Bethesda Terrace and Fountain from this photo blog (see my original blog post). The coffee table book is available at Rizzoli (31 West 57th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues) and online (amazon.com).

“Tributes to Central Park usually focus on is stunning vistas, but in Central Park NYC the authors explore the park’s multitude of overlooked smaller structures, statues, benches, and bridges. Their original watercolors and photographs and revealing text redefine the coffee table book: More than just pretty pictures to be savored, these images will enrich and deepen the reader’s experience…” ~The New York Times

Photo Shoot in Bethesda Terrace in Central Park

Bethesda Terrace's two sets of stairs afford visitors great views of the Lake, the fountain, and the Ramble in the distance. They have also served as sets in photo shoots like this one, as well as films.

Bethesda Terrace Arcade, Not Just A Passage

A family of singers using the beautiful arcade as backdrop for their performance

Wedding photoshoot at the arcade

Central Park's Bethesda Terrace Arcade has always been a perfect setting for a wedding photoshoot or musical performance by buskers. The arcade is one of the few formal architectural features of the park, across from the Bethesda Fountain and under 72nd Street as it crosses Central Park. The restoration of the arcade was completed three years ago. The arcade features a rare Minton-tile ceiling that has 49 panels, each with 324 tiles. The arcade was designed in the mid 1860s by Calvert Vaux and his assistant Jacob Wrey Mould with tiles made by the Minton Company of Stoke-on-Trent, England. 

Giant Bubbles at Central Park's Bethesda Fountain

These photos of giant bubble show were taken at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park last weekend.

Bethesda Fountain in the Summer

When I visited the Bethesda Terrace in Central Park a couple of weeks ago, I took photos of the fountain including the big crowd watching the street performers.

  
From centralpark.com:

Bethesda Fountain rises high above Bethesda Terrace, looking over the hundreds of visitors that come every day to enjoy the view of the Lake and relax at the "heart" of the Central Park. The sculpture that tops it, Angel of Waters, was designed by Emma Stebbins in 1873 and is one of the most recognizable icons in the entire park. Stebbins designed the statue to celebrate the new Croton Aqueduct which not only fed the fountain, but also supplied fresh water to a city that had long been plagued by infectious diseases caused by an unsafe water supply.

Besides being a favorite destination of park visitors in search of a cool place to spend a summer afternoon The Fountain is also a celebrity in its own right. It has probably appeared in more movies than any other monument in the park, exuding a timeless romantic charm that makes it a perfect backdrop for cinematographers. Literally dozens of well known movie scenes have been shot here including: Ransom, One Fine Day, Tommy Boy, Bullets over Broadway and Hair. In fact in, the 1973 feature “Godspell”, the fountain becomes a character in its own right, with the newly recruited disciples splashing joyously around in the pool. It is a fantasy that has surely occurred to generations of summertime vistors.

Location: Mid-Park at 72nd Street

STONE RELIEF AT BETHESDA TERRACE STAIRCASE

The Bethesda Terrace in Central Park features ornate stone relief and carving that depict nature designed by Jacob Wrey Mould. He brought a whimsical personality to the stone carvings that line the grand staircases that descend to the Bethesda fountain. Birds and foliage are common subjects in Mould's relief and carvings. This photograph which I took when I visited the newly restored terrace last weekend, demonstrates how the artwork blends perfectly with the environment.