Parks Monuments Dedicated to Women

Discover monuments in New York City's parks that honor notable and historical women, from former first lady and humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt to trailblazer and abolitionist Harriet Tubman!

Statues

Women's Rights Pioneers Monument at Central Park

This monument by Meredith Bergmann honors Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902), pioneering women who were among the many leaders and countless advocates and activists who were instrumental in the prolonged struggle for American women’s suffrage. The monument was unveiled on Central Park’s Literary Walk on August 26, the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Donated by Monumental Women. Visit the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument

Joan of Arc in Riverside Park

One of the finest works of art in the Parks collection is an impressive bronze equestrian sculpture of 15th-century French patriot and martyr Joan of Arc (1411-1431). The piece, dedicated in 1915, was created by the eminent artist and art patron Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973). Jeanne La Pucelle, later known as Joan of Arc, was a peasant maiden said to have been divinely inspired to help liberate the French from English rule. Joan of Arc gained the trust of the King of France, then eventually fell out of favor with the regime and was burned at the stake in 1431. Learn more about the Joan of Arc Memorial at Riverside Park

Swing Low: Harriet Tubman Memorial in Harlem

A monument by Allison Saar honoring the Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman (ca. 1820-1913) was dedicated in 2008 at 123rd Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. Tubman was born into slavery, escaped from her masters, and went on to help other slaves escape. Later in her life, she advocated and worked towards the goal of women's suffrage. Learn more about the Harriet Tubman Memorial in Harlem

Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial in Riverside Park

A monument honoring humanitarian and First Lady Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), was dedicated in Riverside Park at 72nd Street on October 5, 1996 in the presence of Hillary Rodham Clinton, then the First Lady of the United States. The bronze statue of Eleanor Roosevelt leaning against a natural boulder was created by sculptor Penelope Jencks. As a worldwide spokesperson, lecturer, and news columnist, Roosevelt set about championing the cause of social reform and racial equality. Learn more about the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial in Riverside Park

Rockaway Women’s Veterans Memorial at Rockaway Beach

This monument at Beach 94th Street at Rockway Beach honors the "women who served their country in times of conflict throughout our country's glorious history". These words are engraved on the plaque of the statue sculpted by Eileen Berry. It was dedicated in September 1989. Learn more about the Rockway Women's Veterans Memorial

Gertrude Stein Statue at Bryant Park

A statue in Bryant Park honors the trailblazing American author and arts patron Gertrude Stein (1874-1946). The monument's proximity to the New York Public Library reflects Stein's significant literary contributions -- from plays, librettos, and film scripts to biographies, autobiographies, lectures, essays, poems, and novels. Stein's early literary endeavors were inspired by the spatial concepts explored in Cubism. She developed an experimental use of language that relied upon the sound and rhythms of words as much as their content. In the 1920s, she established a cultural salon in Paris, and influenced such writers as Ernest Hemingway, Sherwood Anderson, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Her life and relationships were recounted in the humorous and trenchant work The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933), which reflected the life of her longtime companion. In 1934, she traveled to New York, where her opera Four Saints in Three Acts, with music by Virgil Thomson, was a great success performed by an all-black cast. Learn more about the Gertrude Stein Statue

Coming Soon: Our Destiny, Our Democracy (Shirley Chisholm monument) by Amanda Williams Olalekan Jeyifous, Prospect Park

Thanks to She Built NYC, a statue of Shirley Chisholm is coming to Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Chisholm, daughter of immigrants from Barbados and Guyana, was the first black Congresswoman and first major-party black candidate to run for President of the United States. Learn more about the Shirley Chisholm monument and She Built NYC

Fountains

Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain in Bryant Park

Also in Bryant Park, the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain, designed by Charles A. Platt, is said to be the first major New York City monument to honor a woman. Josephine Shaw Lowell (1843-1905) was the first female member of the New York State Board of Charities, serving on the board from 1876 to 1889 and focusing her efforts on the underprivileged population of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Her older brother was Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who was killed while leading the African-American Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry in the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina--the story told in the movie Glory. At the fountain's dedication in 1912, Parks Commissioner Charles Stover noted, "We are beginning to recognize in New York what is due women." Learn more about the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fount at Bryant Park

Charlotte Wilbour and the Woman's Health Protective Association in Riverside Park

Along Riverside Drive at 116th Street, a marble stele and drinking fountain designed by Bruno Louis Zimm commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Woman's Health Protective Association (WHPA) of New York City in 1909. The Association was formed to raise awareness of public health issues facing women. The names of its members are inscribed along the benches to the right and left of the stele -- Charlotte Wilbour, one of the names inscribed along the Riverside Park benches, helped found the first New York City Woman Suffrage Association in 1870. Learn more about the Women's Health Protective Association Fountain and Stele at Riverside Park

Sophie Irene Loeb Memorial Fountain in Central Park

This decorative, reinforced concrete drinking fountain inspired by Lewis Carroll’s children’s story Alice in Wonderland commemorates newspaperwoman and social worker Sophie Irene Loeb (1876-1929), who was the founder and first president of the Child Welfare Board of New York City. Loeb is recognized in this context for her support of recreational opportunities for children in Central Park. She also fought for immigrant use of New York City schools as civic centers; and the cleaning and fireproofing of movie theaters; the installation of public baths; funding of school lunches, and support for housing reform. Learn more about the Loeb Memorial Fountain

Other Notable Permanent Art in Parks Honoring Women

In 1927, forty flowering trees along Park Avenue, from 75th Street to 96th Street, were dedicated in honor of Susan E. Wagner, former First Lady of the City of New York. The dedication is recognized by a plaque at 75th Street.
A tablet honoring Jane Addams, founder of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, is located in Manhattan's City Hall Park.
At Fort Tryon Park, the Fort Tryon Memorial and Margaret Corbin plaque recognizes Margaret Corbin, "the first American woman to take a soldier's part in the fight for liberty".
A bronze tablet at the Park Avenue Malls at 37th Street honors Mary Lindley Murray who, during the Revolutionary War, entertained General Howe and his officers at her home until troops under General Putnam escaped.
In City Hall Park, there is also a plaque honoring Marie Curie. She is the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the only woman to win it twice!
Another plaque in nearby Battery Park honors Emma Lazarus, whose line "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" is inextricably linked to the Statue of Liberty; Battery Park being the departure point for ferries to visit the monument.
In Central Park, the famous Alice in Wonderland sculpture was commissioned by publisher and philanthropist George Delacorte as a tribute to his wife Margarita Delacorte and as a gift to the children of New York City.
Sculptor Oronzio Maldarelli created the sculptural birdbath in Central Park dedicated to Edith Deacon Martin (1898-1941), whose family donated the piece.
Elsewhere in Central Park, a garden sculpture and fountain designed by Aymar Embury II with statues by Bessie Potter Vonnoh honors the children's book author Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924).
At the south end of Central Park, the Doris C. Freedman is honored with a plaza and plaque. She founded our Art in the Parks program in 1967.
A paved circular terrace in Brower Park contains a plaque that honors social rights advocate and celebrated politician Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005).
At Union Square Park, the Union Square Park Labor & History Plaques include sculptural detailing representing women’s labor history, including the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
In Brooklyn, the Lady Deborah Moody Plaque at Gravesend Cemetery honors Lady Moody who founded the village of Gravesend in 1643.
Sculptor Pietro Montana created the bronze relief honoring Catherine Carroll at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Pool. C. Fisher Weimer designed the inscribed stone wall dedicating Upper Manhattan's Gorman Park to Gertie Amelia Gorman (1859-1920), who owned many parcels of land across the city, including the site of Gorman Park.
Other plaques and tablets in our parks honor beloved community members, leaders, and philanthropists: Betty Kohn Wollman, Sarah Willets Meyer, Catherine I. Carrol, Ilse Metzger, Genevieve Beavers Earle, Polly Gordon, Anna Atkins Heckscher, and Mary Harriman Rumsey.

Choose another topic to continue your Parks Women’s History education:

All NYC Parks & Monuments Honoring Women

Women´s History & Parks Homepage

Famous Women and Historical Figures

Local Philanthropists

Local Leaders or Community Activists

Parks Women