Lehman Gates

The gates in front of the Tisch Children’s Zoo were created by the American sculptor Paul Manship. Three bronze piers support a stylized bronze vine with roosting birds, two seated children playing flutes, and one child dancing between prancing goats.

This celebration of the interaction between children and animals was a fitting entrance to a zoo created specifically for small children. The gates were a gift from Governor Herbert Lehman and his wife, Edith Louise Altschul, in 1961 as part of their funding for the design and construction of the new children’s zoo.

Paul Manship created many works of public art in the early 20th century, including Prometheus at Rockefeller Center. He has three other artworks in the Park, Group of Bears, a sculpture at the entrance to the Ruth and Arthur Smadbeck-Heckscher East Playground; the sundial in the Waldo Hutchins Bench; and the Osborn Gates at Ancient Playground.

The figures at the top of the gate shown half-hidden in the neighboring tree canopy.

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    Paul Manship's works, which include the Lehman Gates, are part of a larger tradition of playful sculptures in Central Park.

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