Madison Square Park — Attraction in New York

Madison Square Park was designated public land in 1686 while still part of Lenape territory. In the 18th century, it served as a potter’s field. By the early 19th century, the U.S. Army used it as a parade ground and munitions depot. Madison Cottage, built in 1854 at Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street, inspired the park’s name. The park officially opened on May 10, 1847. In the 1870s, the Statue of Liberty’s right arm and torch were displayed there to raise funds. The first public Christmas tree in America stood there in 1912. The Eternal Light Memorial was lit in 1923 to honor World War I veterans. Worth Square, adjacent to the park, holds General William Jenkins Worth’s tomb—one of only two official urban burial sites in New York. The original Madison Square Garden opened nearby in 1879. The park hosted early baseball games before formal fields existed. In 2004, Shake Shack began as a temporary kiosk here. The park’s current design was shaped by Ignatz Pilat and William Grant. It features seasonal gardens, art installations, and bird habitats. In 2023, landscape artist Lily Kwong created a meditative spiral garden with 3,000 native plants. The park’s horticulture team maintains a wildlife guide based on historical species. Madison Square Park Conservancy has managed the park since 2002. The park’s layout mimics classical symmetry, with a central oval, restored fountain, and crushed-stone paths. Its location at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway makes it a cultural and ecological landmark...

Pet parents beware! We’ve been coming to this park for years and never had an issue. Apparently pets aren’t allowed on the lawn anymore. But their less than kind staff will rudely tell you otherwise.

We were approached by a park personnel telling us to leave. We apologized and said we didn’t know, but they just stood over us and condescendingly told us “didn’t you see the signs? Well they’re at every park entrance.” (Image of the sign attached. We missed it while entering, but seems many others did too. Printed very small and several feet away from the actual entrance, rather than right next to it.)

He then proceeded to watch us and a couple of minutes later, just as my friend stands up to leave, he marches back over and aggressively scolds at us “guess you decided to stay, huh? So you’re staying, huh?”, in a combative manor as if he was trying to incite a scene. Another friend responds that we were just leaving and he proceeds to engage with backtalk saying that he doesn’t appreciate our attitude.

Ultimately, I respect park rules and someone doing their job but it’s no excuse to accost park goers. My one friend was so scared by his behavior and demeanor she threw everything in her bag including her drink...

We arrived a bit early for a lunch meet up at the ilili NoMad Lebanese restaurant near the Flat Iron building so we took the opportunity to explore Madison Square Park just in front of it. It was our first visit to this 6.2 acre public park in the Flat Iron district in Central Manhattan and we liked it. There's plenty of seating all around the park with a lot of office workers sitting in the sunshine eating their lunches when we visited. It's a popular park for walking dogs with two enclosed dog run areas, one for small dogs and one for large dogs. There's a childrens playground at one end of the park and workers were putting up some art installations when we were there. Many beautiful large mature trees provided plenty of shade from the hot sun and we saw many groups having picnics and sunbathing on the large grassed areas. There was also a large paved area with chairs for people to sit & relax in. I didn't see any public restrooms in the park. This park is very similar to our favourite Bryant Park near Time Square providing a little oasis of calm and tranquility to escape from the maddening hustle & bustle of the Big...