Once upon a time, what is now known as Bryant Park was called Reservoir Square. It featured the New York Crystal Palace, which hosted the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in 1853 and burned down in 1858. In 1884, the square was renamed Bryant Park to honor the journalist and abolitionist William Cullen Bryant.
The reservoir was demolished in 1900, and the Main Branch of the New York Public Library opened on the site in 1911. The park was rebuilt in 1933–1934 to a plan by Lusby Simpson. After a period of decline, the park was restored in 1988–1992 by landscape architects Hanna/Olin Ltd. and architects Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates, during which the library's stacks were built underneath.
Managed by the private not-for-profit organization Bryant Park Corporation, the park is cited as a model for the success of public-private partnerships. It is both a National Register of Historic Places listing and a New York City designated landmark.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
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