| Bridge Name: | Bow Bridge |
| Locale: | The Ramble and Lake, Central Park |
| Designer: | Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould |
| Design: | Classical Greek |
| Complete: | 1862 |
| Material: | Cast iron |
| Spans: | 1 |
| Traffic: | Pedestrian |
The Bow Bridge is a cast iron bridge located in Central Park, New York City, crossing over the Lake and used as a pedestrian walkway.[1]
It is decorated with an interlocking circles banister, with eight planting urns on top of decorative bas-relief panels. Intricate arabesque elements and volutes can be seen underneath the span arch. Its 87-longNaN-long span is the longest of the park's bridges, though the balustrade is 142feet long.[2] [3] [4] While other bridges in Central Park are inconspicuous, the Bow Bridge is made to stand out from its surroundings.[5] The Bow Bridge is also the only one of Central Park's seven ornamental iron bridges that does not traverse a bridle path.[6]
The bridge was designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould, and completed in 1862. It was built by the Bronx-based iron foundry Janes, Kirtland & Co., the same company that constructed the dome of U.S. Capitol Building.[7] The bridge was restored in 1974.[8] The bridge was closed again in November 2023 for a two-month renovation.[9] [10]