About the Park

A Public Space at the Heart of Our City

Madison Square Park is a six point two acre green space at the heart of New York City that has been public land since 1686. Over the centuries, it has played a part in the city’s rich history, providing space for everything from the invention of baseball to fundraising efforts for the Statue of Liberty.

Just like New York City, Madison Square Park is a place where many different people and things come together. Surrounded by landmark architecture and vibrant businesses, it is home to some of the world’s best art and horticulture exhibitions. It is a public garden, a playground, an open-air museum, a dog park, a performance venue, an eatery, an arboretum, a gathering place, and a sanctuary. It is a space that belongs to everyone, and that each of us can make our own.

The park is managed by Madison Square Park Conservancy, a non-profit that is fully funded by the community.

The Lenape people are the original inhabitants of Manhattan.

The Dutch settled in New York City (New Amsterdam as it was then called) on land belonging to the Lenape people.

The colonial government designates the area now known as Madison Square Park as an urban public space. It's mainly used as a hunting ground.

The United States Army repurposes the grounds our park now stands on to train soldiers and house munitions.

The Plan of 1811 establishes the grid in Manhattan and designates the land our park occupies as the largest public space in the city, also known as the Grand Parade.

A farmhouse at what is now 5th Avenue and 23rd Street is converted into Madison Cottage, a traveler's inn. It's torn down in 1853, but the Madison moniker remains.

Amateur baseball teams first use the park to play games. Not long after, Alexander Cartwright codifies the game's rules and designs uniforms for his team, the New York Knickerbockers.

Madison Square Park officially opens as a public park.

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General Williams Jenkins Worth's body is buried under Worth Square. Along with Grant's Tomb, Worth Square is one of only two city monuments that double as a mausoleum.

Madison Square Park is redesigned by William Grant, a civil engineer, and Ignatz Pilat, an Austrian landscaper, both of whom were integral to the design of Central Park.

To raise funding for its ultimate completion, the Statue of Liberty's right arm and torch is put on display in the park for six years.

The first Madison Square Garden was located just outside of the park at the northeast corner of 26th Street and Madison Avenue from 1876–1889.

The Flatiron Building is erected one block southwest of the park. It soon becomes one of New York City's most iconic landmarks.

The landmark Met Life Tower at the corner of Madison Avenue and 23rd Street is completed. It's the tallest skyscraper in New York at the time and features an iconic clock tower.

Christmas Tree at Madison Square Park, 1912

The first public Christmas tree in the United States is displayed in Madison Square Park.

On Armistice Day, November 11, 1923, the Eternal Light Monument is first lit to honor the return of United States Army and Navy troops from World War I.

After several decades of unfortunate neglect, the City Parks Foundation launches the "Campaign for the New Madison Square Park," the precursor organization to the Madison Square Park Conservancy.

Renowned chef and restaurateur Danny Meyer opens Eleven Madison Park. This addition shapes the neighborhood and puts our community on the map as a global culinary destination.

The park holds its first public art exhibition. It's the first of many.

Madison Square Park Conservancy is formed.

Shake Shack opens its first-ever location in the park. Designed by world-renowned architect, James Wines, this burger joint is a modern-day roadside restaurant.

The Fountain just south of the Oval Lawn is restored to the glory of its past. It can once again spout water as high as it did in the 1800s.

Madison Square Park registers its highest yearly total visitation mark ever, with over 3.5 million visits that year.

The area around the Eternal Light Flagstaff is renovated to give the monument the prominence it deserves and to make a more inviting entrance into the park for visitors.

Madison Square Park is awarded a Level 1 Arboretum Accreditation for its "development, capacity, and professionalism." There are a total of 322 trees within the park's seven acres.

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Madison Square Park organizes sculptor Martin Puryear's exhibition at the Venice Biennale. In 2016, Puryear exhibited "Big Bling" in the park.

The base of William H. Seward Monument is replaced and restored with Arno granite, which is suited to withstand the elements.

Today, Madison Square Park is a green jewel in the midst of the city. Its restored beauty and purpose has given rise to a new birth of business and residential development, ensuring future generations the opportunity to enjoy its natural splendor.

Madison Square Park is awarded Level 2 Arboretum Accreditation for its continued diversity of species, collections policy, and enhanced public programing.

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Madison Square Park is located on Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape (Delaware) people. We recognize that this land was forcibly taken, resulting in the displacement and genocide of the Lenape (Delaware) Nations. Madison Square Park Conservancy respectfully acknowledges the Lenape (Delaware) people – past, present, and future – who continue to live, work, and connect to this land.

The Conservancy honors the Lenape (Delaware) people, the original stewards of this land, through our commitment to a series of sustainability and restoration initiatives. In the coming years, we aim to reduce our carbon imprint, promote sustainable land management, and reintroduce to the park species of fauna and flora indigenous to Lenapehoking.

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A Public Space at the Heart of Our City

Land Acknowledgement

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