A fun vibrant spot, worthy of a visit.
Dante Park is a tiny but richly story‑filled green space on Manhattan's Upper West Side, home to a bronze statue of poet Dante Alighieri and a unique clock sculpture.
Dante Park was created in 1921 to honor Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) on the 600th anniversary of his death. The statue was commissioned by Carlo Barsotti, editor of the Italian‑American newspaper Il Progresso Italo‑Americano, who originally dreamed of a giant Dante in Times Square but settled for a smaller Beaux‑Arts bronze by sculptor Ettore Ximenes.
The park's creation was a tribute from New York's Italian‑American community, part of a series of monuments Barsotti funded to honor Italian figures like Garibaldi, Columbus, Verdi, and Verrazano.
In 1999, architect Philip Johnson designed the Time Sculpture, a 21‑and‑a‑half‑foot bronze clock with four faces.
Fun tip: If you visit, look for the Dante statue's Beaux‑Arts details and the clock's four faces -- both are small but memorable pieces of Manhattan's cultural and artistic history. read more