Overview & visitor information
Bryant Park occupies a full Midtown block behind the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library. Its central lawn sits above the library's underground stacks, enclosed by terraces and allées of London plane trees that create a green outdoor room among office towers.
The current design reopened in 1992 after a major restoration that improved visibility, entrances, seating and daily management. Movable chairs, food kiosks, gardens, a carousel, games and the broad lawn allow the same formal geometry to support quiet individual use, lunch crowds and large scheduled events.
Seasonal transformations are unusually complete: the lawn hosts films and performances in warm months, then becomes the Winter Village's skating rink and market. That continual conversion distinguishes Bryant Park from a passive square, while the library façade on the east gives every temporary activity a stable civic and architectural backdrop.
