Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About NYC's Iconic Park Benches

June 23, 2023 10:56 AM

In Central Park, there are four main types of benches: the Central Park settee, the World’s Fair, wood-and-concrete, and rustic benches. When [noted racist] Robert Moses became the Parks Commissioner in 1934, he wanted to put his stamp on the park and called for a new bench. This one was made of cast iron, with an Art Deco flair, but its basic shape harked back to the hoop arms of the turn of the century. About 8,000 were made for the 1939 New York World's Fair—and many are still in the park today.
posted by AlSweigart (6 comments total)

There’s a lot of benchmarking going on on this site lately!

Not that I’m complaining; it sure beats the FPPs in stool. They required FPPE….
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:59 AM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

I recently read Robt Caro's biography of Robert Moses; I was astounded to discover what a scumbag he was. So much power, so much fuckwittery, so much racism and classism and just being an asshole. The whole war on Shakespeare in the Park was outrageous, and hardly his biggest sin.
posted by chavenet at 12:42 PM on June 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

The last photo in the article says it is a rustic bench, but I see a bridge?
posted by Literaryhero at 5:29 PM on June 23, 2023

You can just make out a bench leg in the lower right.
posted by Mitheral at 6:59 PM on June 23, 2023

The Moses benches are about six zillion times better than the new metal ones they’ve put all over the city.
posted by holborne at 11:09 AM on June 24, 2023 [1 favorite]

The last photo in the article says it is a rustic bench, but I see a bridge?

I wondered the same thing, then realized that the photo is cropped on mobile + portrait orientation. Try landscape orientation or long press for the full-width image.
posted by branular at 10:54 PM on June 24, 2023