2. A Replica of Federal Hall Once Stood in Bryant Park
While the 42nd Street Interborough Rapid Transit subway tunnel was being constructed throughout the 1920s, the north half of Bryant Park was closed. The park was torn up, used for equipment storage, and in rough shape by the end of the decade. In an effort to bring people back to the park, a replica of Federal Hall was constructed to celebrate the bicentennial of Washington’s birthday. It was modeled after the Federal Hall building that stood at the time Washington was inaugurated in 1789, which is different than the building we see today at the site on Wall Street. In Washington’s time, the building served as the nation’s first capitol building.
The true-to-size replica in Bryant Park was constructed in 1932 by Sears, Roebuck and Company and the George Washington Bicentennial Planning Committee. It was made of wood and plaster and stood next to the park’s terrace behind the library. Visitors were charged a small fee to go inside and there was a reenactment of the inauguration. After the festivities, the structure was boarded up and eventually torn down in April 1933. The next year, under the direction of Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, Bryant Park was redesigned by Queens-based architect Lusby Simpson. Simpson’s design called for a large central lawn, formal pathways, an oval plaza, and allées of London Plane trees (the leaves of which are likely featured on the NYC Parks logo). On September 14, 1934, the newly redesigned park officially opened to the public.