4. A Wooden Tower from the Original Construction Has Been Recreated

150 years ago, the Belvedere had an additional decorative wooden tower sticking out of its Northwest Pavilion. Renovators were committed to not only fortifying the existing structure but also trying to bring its new look as close to the original structure built as possible. To accomplish this, an entirely new structure from the historic Belvedere was recreated. In original plans created by Olmsted and Vaux, this northwest corner was home to a second stone tower, but that tower was never built. Instead, when the castle was constructed the northwest corner was home to a decorative wooden tower designed by Jacob Wrey Mould, an architect who worked under Calvert Vaux on many of Central Park’s buildings. Unfortunately, due to structural issues, the tower was torn down in 1872.

Today the wooden tower once again stands opposite the iconic stone tower we have come to know and love. The wooden tower is a tribute to the original architects’ vision of the castle as a “picturesque” structure and now adds balance to the architecture as you gaze up at Belvedere from below.