Find A Park > Central Park > Highlights > The Bridges of Central Park - Glen Span

Central Park

Back to Highlights List

The Bridges of Central Park - Glen Span

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

When Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) and Calvert Vaux (1824-1895) designed Central Park in 1858, they developed an innovative interwoven transportation system of pedestrian paths, bridle trails, and carriage drives. Since the park is only one-half mile wide, the designers found it necessary to create a compact system of bridges and arches that allowed for separate levels of pathways. Vaux and his assistant Jacob Wrey Mould (1825-1886) created 35 unique structures, each with its own distinct style. They used brick, granite, marble, cast iron, and rustic wood; and fashioned rusticated gneiss boulders out of the natural rock outcrops. Subsequent changes in the path system led to tearing down three of the original arches and the construction of four others.

Glen Span, is one of two rustic arches that form the boundaries of the Ravine, a wooded area in the northern end of the park. Completed in 1865, the bridge was partially rebuilt 20 years later, replacing wooden trestles with rustic stone. The picturesque arch is made of light gray gneiss. The simple ornamentation consists of geometrically shaped stones and decorative grottos embedded in the underpass. Glen Span and Huddlestone Arch, the other archway in the Ravine, are slightly sunken into the park landscape in order to preserve the integrity of the forest setting.

Check out your park's Vital Signs

Clean & Safe

91
Park Condition Score
$70.7M
Recent Investment

Green & Resilient

12.3K
Mapped Trees
74
Acres of Natural Areas

Empowered & Engaged Users

261
Recent & Future Events
Yes
Volunteer Engagement

Share your feedback or learn more about how this park is part of a Vital Park System

Park Information

Know Before You Go

Ice Skating Rinks
Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)
The Harlem Meer Center is closed in order to rebuild the facility to increase access to nearby communities and enhance year-round programming. For more information, visit Central Park Conservancy's Rebuilding Harlem Meer Center page.
Anticipated Completion: Spring 2024
Outdoor Pools
Harlem Meer Center
The Harlem Meer Center is closed in order to rebuild the facility to increase access to nearby communities and enhance year-round programming. For more information, visit Central Park Conservancy's Rebuilding Harlem Meer Center page.
Anticipated Completion: Spring 2025

Partner Organization

Central Park Conservancy

Contacts

Central Park Information: (212) 310-6600
Central Park Information (for the Hearing Impaired): (800) 281-5722
Belvedere Castle, The Henry Luce Nature Observatory: (212) 772-0210
The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center: (212) 860-1370
The Dairy Visitor Center and Gift Shop: (212) 794-6564
North Meadow Recreation Center: (212) 348-4867
Loeb Boathouse (Bike rentals, boat rentals & gondolas): (212) 517-2233
Carousel: (212) 879-0244
Fishing at Harlem Meer (Catch & Release): (212) 860-1370
Harlem Meer Performance Festival: (212) 860-1370
Horseback Riding - Claremont Stables: (212) 724-5100
Metropolitan Opera (Performances on the Great Lawn): (212) 362-6000
New York Philharmonic (Performances on the Great Lawn): (212) 875-5709
Shakespeare in the Park - The Public Theater at the Delacorte Theater: (212) 539-8655
Central Park SummerStage: (212) 360-2777
Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater: (212) 988-9093
Tennis: (212) 280-0205
Weddings, Ceremonies and Photography at the Conservatory Garden: (212) 360-2766
Wildlife Center & Tisch Children's Zoo: (212) 439-6500