
Millennium Park is a small plaza located at the intersection of
Park Row and
Broadway in
Financial District
A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies, and other related finance corporations have their headquarters offices. In major cities, financial districts often host ...
of
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Located to the south of
City Hall Park
City Hall Park is a public park surrounding New York City Hall in the Civic Center of Manhattan. It was the town commons of the nascent city of New York.
History
17th century
David Provoost came to New Netherland as early as 1638, probab ...
, it is a Greenstreet site designed to replicate a forest amid a busy intersection. The plaza contains a bus turnaround loop, formerly a paved median transformed into a green space at the turn of the 21st century.
The park was dedicated in November 2000, described by Mayor
Rudolph W. Giuliani as “a final gift from the 20th century to New Yorkers of the 21st.” With its completion date in mind, it was named Millennium Park.
At its southern tip is the David Rockefeller Clock, dedicated by the Downtown Alliance in honor of longtime
Chase Manhattan Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and financial services holding ...
executive
David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller (June 12, 1915 – March 20, 2017) was an American economist and investment banker who served as chairman and chief executive of Chase Bank, Chase Manhattan Corporation. He was the oldest living member of the third generation of ...
.
The youngest grandson of
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...
, he was instrumental in maintaining the vitality of downtown Manhattan as a business district at a time when many businesses were leaving urban centers for suburban settings. Rockefeller’s contributions to the neighborhood includes the preservation of
South Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, within the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The Seaport is a designated historic district. It is p ...
, and the construction of
World Trade Center and
Battery Park City
Battery Park City is a mainly residential planned community and neighborhood on the west side of the southern tip of the island of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by the Hudson River on the west, the Hudson River shoreline on the nor ...
. Keeping in theme with City Hall Park, the 3,500-pound clock was designed in the late 19th-century style to match the fountain and light fixtures of the Victorian period.
References
{{coord, 40, 42, 41.5, N, 74, 0, 29.5, W, display=title
Parks in Manhattan
Financial District, Manhattan
Civic Center, Manhattan
2000 establishments in New York City