Aside from many beautiful churches, there’s not a lot of Medieval-style architecture in New York City.
But there is Belvedere Castle, a Gothic structure in the middle of Central Park with a stone facade and turrets that’s meant to invoke the idea of a romantic Medieval villa.
Like so much of the nature-inspired yet artificial park, it was created purely out of Victorian folly, with no other purpose than to enchant visitors.
“Calvert Vaux, co-designer of Central Park, created the miniature castle in 1869 as one of its many whimsical structures intended as a lookout to the reservoir to the north (now the Great Lawn) and the Ramble to the south,” states the Central Park Conservatory.
Built as an open-air structure without doors or windows on a part of the park called Vista Rock, it almost looks as if the castle is rising out of the rock itself.
Belvedere Castle was called into service in 1919, when the United States Weather Bureau moved its observatory there. As the castle and the park fell into disrepair in the 1970s and 1980s, the weather bureau departed to another compound in the park.
It’s now a renovated and spiffed up visitor’s center and nature center, and climbing the winding stone steps leads to a wonderful vantage point to “take the view,” as Victorian-era New Yorkers would have said.
[Photo: Central Park Conservatory]
Tags: Belvedere castle Central Park, Belvedere lake Central Park, castle in Central Park, Central Park attractions, Central Park original, Medieval Castle Central Park, vintage postcards New York, Vista Rock
April 1, 2013 at 9:12 am |
Reblogged this on Oyia Brown.
April 1, 2013 at 11:52 am |
I’ve read that the miniature castle was designed to appear as a full-sized building when viewed from a distance. I think it succeds admirably.
April 1, 2013 at 2:52 pm |
I agree. It’s amazing how small it actually is when you get there!
April 1, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Small? But it shows off the castle very well, I think. When I was last there, the Weather station was up and running with a confused looking guy looking at me and changing the weather machines. I also was looking confused back at him. Who knows what that was about?
April 1, 2013 at 12:26 pm |
Reblogged this on Journeyer and commented:
Very cool history about Belvedere Castle in Central Park. I always wondered…
April 1, 2013 at 2:48 pm |
Wow I always wondered what this place was and if I could ever visit it! I might have to give this a chance asap š
April 1, 2013 at 5:55 pm |
“Built without walls”? Huh?
April 1, 2013 at 6:02 pm |
Yikes, I meant without doors (or windows). Fixed!
April 1, 2013 at 10:20 pm |
That’s a great place to meet birders on hawk watch, too. š
April 2, 2013 at 7:42 pm |
i grew up not too far away and we used to dare each other to climb the walls. it is in fact possible, but if you fell it was hard, hard rock below.
April 2, 2013 at 9:16 pm |
A tourist just tried climbing the rocks a couple of months ago. He fell, broke his arm and was arrested.
May 9, 2013 at 11:42 am |
[…] A “Victorian folly” in the middle of Central Park (ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com) […]
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