Ralph Bunche Park

1 Ave., bet. E. 42 St. and E. 43 St.

Manhattan

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Ralph Bunche Park is New York City's first peace park, a place of frequent assembly and dissent given the site's history and proximity to the United Nations. It embodies in many ways the principles of human understanding and freedom of expression.

This pedestrian plaza is named in honor of Ralph Bunche, a titan of 20th century diplomacy and the first African-American recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. At the center of the park, the 50-foot tall obelisk Peace Form One pierces the sky, dedicated as an homage to Bunche by sculptor and friend Daniel Larue Johnson. The northwest granite staircase was designed around 1948 by the architectural firm of Andrews & Clark and inscribed in 1975 with a passage from the Book of Isaiah: "they shall beat their swords into plowshares."

Discover the history of Ralph Bunche Park

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