Adopt-A-Bench

Karen May and Vicki Foley, Co-Chairs 
Phyllis Cerf Wagner, Founder

The Adopt-A-Bench program was established in 1986 as a permanent fund to maintain and endow the care of Central Park’s more than 9,000 benches and their surrounding landscapes. To date, more than 2,000 benches have been adopted.

In recognition of contributions to the fund, the Conservancy installs a plaque engraved with a personalized inscription on a park bench in a location of the donor’s choosing. Most benches can be adopted for $7,500. Contributions of $25,000 are recognized with a plaque on a hand-made rustic bench in an area chosen by the donor.

Become Part of Our Ongoing Work to Sustain the Park

Central Park is a living work of art, conceived and created more than 150 years ago as a place for New Yorkers to experience the beauty and tranquility of the countryside within the limits of the City. Over time, the Park’s original design has accommodated many changes—including the twentieth-century addition of playgrounds, ball fields, and other facilities for active recreation, as well as the installation of public art, formal gardens, and cultural venues. But its original purpose endures: more people continue to visit Central Park simply to enjoy pastoral vistas and picturesque scenery than for any other reason, and those who participate in more active recreation and cultural activities come here to do so in the incomparable setting of New York’s most cherished landscape.

When you choose to participate in the Adopt-A-Bench program, your philanthropic contribution makes you a partner in our ongoing work to sustain America’s first and greatest urban park.

INSCRIPTIONS

Below are a few noteworthy inscriptions:

C'est Lui Pour Moi, Moi Pour Lui, Dans La Vie (In life, there is only him for me, and me for him).

In the Shakespeare Garden, a bench was adopted in memory of Richard Burton and his father, Phillip Burton: For Phillip Burton (1904-1995), Father and Mentor, and Richard Burton (1925-1984), Son and Actor, from Loving Friends in Key West.

A woman adopted a bench at the Carousel in memory of her husband.  They always loved to sit there and watch children play: My Beloved was Mine and I was His.

To show their appreciation for the cooperation and help received from Central Park staff, Columbia Pictures donated two benches after filming "Stuart Little" and "Stuart Little 2."  In 1999: In Memory of E.B. White, Columbia Pictures, Red Wagon Productions and the Cast and Crew of Stuart Little; in 2002: The Way I See It You're As Big As You Feel, Stuart Little 2, Columbia Pictures July 2002.

A man proposed to his future wife at a bench he adopted near the Zoo. The inscription: Michelle, Will you marry me? Love, John. Needless to say, she said yes.

122 people gave money toward adopting a bench where a man who had spent many hours holding court and had become a beloved figure on the Upper West Side: Remembering With Love Larry Polshansky (1942-1996), Honorary Mayor of the Neighborhood.

Conservancy Trustee E. John Rosenwald adopted a bench for Bill Cosby, who featured the Adopt-A-Bench program on his series "The Cosby Mysteries." At Cosby's request, the plaque honored his father-in-law, Guy Hanks.

An anonymous donor adopted two benches to honor two Central Park Conservancy zone gardeners.

BENCH FACTS

Several styles of bench can be found in Central Park:

Central Park Settee:  Based on the simple, unobtrusive design of the historic benches originally used in the Park, the wood and cast iron settee is used in informal, pastoral landscapes.

World’s Fair Bench:  Designed for the 1939 World’s Fair and used in Parks throughout New York City, this more ornate wood and cast iron bench with circular armrests in more formal areas of Central Park, such as plazas.

Wood and Concrete Bench: The familiar park bench in use since the 1930s as cities everywhere moved to durable, immovable benches, it can be found in locations throughout the Park, and is the bench type consistently used in playgrounds and along the park perimeter.

Rustic Bench: These hand-crafted benches are found in the Park’s woodlands and other picturesque settings; usually made of locust or cedar, each design is unique.

Central Park is a local and national landmark sustained through the Conservancy’s ongoing management and restoration work. As individual landscapes and facilities are restored or reconstructed, the bench style of the most appropriate character and consistent period is used.

If you are interested in more information, please call 212-310-6617, or e-mail us at: benches@centralparknyc.org.  To adopt a bench, please click on,
fill out and return the Adopt-A-Bench pdf (will open in new window).

 The Central Park Conservancy reserves the right to temporarily or permanently alter or relocate benches.