Wednesday, May 28, 2025 – THIS MEMORIAL COULD HAVE BEEN ON WHAT IS NOW THE CENTRAL PARK GREAT LAWN
The War Memorial
of the
City of New York
Lauren Gilbert
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2025
ISSUE #1458
The War Memorial of the City of New York
As Memorial Day approaches, we are looking back at a 1923 plan for a never-built war memorial in Central Park. In November 1918, at the close of the First World War, Mayor John H. Hylan created the Committee on Permanent War Memorial, which was tasked with producing a plan for an appropriate monument. In 1923, a design from landscape architect Thomas Hastings of the firm Carrère and Hastings was accepted by the Committee and presented in a report to the Mayor and the Board of Estimate. A copy of this publication (see below) is housed in the Municipal Library.
The plan, which was approved by the Department of Plants and Structures, the Art Commission, and the Department of Parks, called for a permanent memorial in Central Park between 79th and 86th Streets on the 37-acre site of the lower reservoir of the Old Croton system, which had been superseded by the Catskill Water System (see map below).
The Report of the Mayor’s Committee on Permanent War Memorial, Plate I: General Map of the Central Park, New York City. NYC Municipal Library.
Along with removing the reservoir walls, the plan called for a long lagoon bordered by trees on either side, “similar to the one in the Mall in Washington, which leads to the new Lincoln Memorial.” The monument itself would be reflected in the water approach and feature statues representing allegorical or historical features of the “Great War,” along with war relics and inscriptions (see below).
The Report of the Mayor’s Committee on Permanent War Memorial, Plate VI: Perspective of Lagoon and Memorial. NYC Municipal Library.
Though $300,000 was initially allocated by the Board of Estimate under Mayor Hylan, the project met with a storm of protest from civic groups opposed to any encroachment of public park space. By 1927, the new Mayor, Jimmy Walker, rescinded the former allotment in a cost-cutting measure, and the plan stalled completely. The space that had been designated for the war memorial is now occupied by the Great Lawn and Turtle Pond.
Lauren Gilbert is Director of the Municipal Library.
THE VIEW FROM THE TINTED ROOF OF A TESLA WHILE STUCK IN TRAFFIC ON THE 59th ST. BRIDGE
UPPER LEVEL AS I WAS ENTRANCED BY THE IRONWORK
DO YOU REMEMBER THE STRECKER LAB IN 1999?
WANTED
FOR OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
“KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE”
PHOTOS OF THE ISLAND, THE PEOPLE, PLACES, EVENTS THAT MADE OUR COMMUNITY FROM 1975 TO TODAY.
SEND US YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF LIFE ON THE ISLAND FOR OUR EXHIBIT DURING OUR CELEBRATION STARTING JUNE 7.
CONTACT JBIRD134@AOL.COM FOR DETAILS.
CREDITS
NYC MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES BLOG
JUDITH BERDY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Copyright © 2025 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
Leave a comment