10. The Buried Marble Arch
Lost beneath the surface of Central Park is the Marble Arch, one of the finest pieces of architecture in the park. Located at the end of the mall, on the opposite end of Bethesda Terrace, this arch was built entirely from marble. It was distinguished from other noble neighbors as the only bridge built of the material in the entire park. According to Edward J. Levine in the book Central Park Then & Now, the Marble Arch featured a drinking fountain, a semicircular pergola, and marble benches.
Like many things lost in New York City, we have Robert Moses and his quest for automobile domination to blame. In 1938, the Central Park drives were realigned to accommodate car traffic. The arch was demolished, smashed into pieces, and buried. Writing in 2008, Levine stated, “In recent years, a scarred chunk of marble has worked its way to the surface as if declaring “Here Lies Marble Arch.” Other lost bridges include Outset Arch (demolished for the Central Park Zoo) and Spur Rock Arch (or Oval Arch), demolished for Heckscher Ballfields.