A spooky look at Bethesda Terrace at night

It’s one of the most enchanting parts of Central Park: two elegant staircases uniting two levels in the middle of the park, linking the Mall to the Lake and culminating at Bethesda Fountain.

By day, it’s crowded and lovely. But at night and under a full moon, it sure looks empty, misty, and ghostly—at least judging by this 1908 postcard.

Here’s a photo of Bethesda Terrace under construction in 1862. The park has officially opened, but much work still needed to be done.

It was supposed to be called the Water Terrance. That changed when the fountain was put in place, whose name, Bethesda, references the Pool of Bethesda in the New Testament.