[5][6] (Summit Rock, at 83rd Street overlooking Central Park West, is higher at 137.5 feet (41.9 m). But after nearly four decades, it was time again to care for the building. It was last restored in 1983, and since then it had gained some, shall we say, character, in the form of graffiti on the stone-brick walls and wooden boards covering the windows and doorways. Visitors would then walk up here, and have this reward of a view, and would see the castle up close, but I think it was more about an alluring object in the distance.”.
The first season episode of The Naked City titled 'Belvedere Tower', first screened on November 18, 1958, featured location filming at the castle where a killer takes refuge, holding a weather official hostage, and is taken into custody after a shootout with police. Free family and community programs hosted at Belvedere Castle include birding and other Central Park Conservancy discovery programs for families as well as a variety of history and natural history programs led by NYC Urban Park Rangers, including stargazing/astronomy and wildlife-education events. To learn more or book a tour at the Conservatory, visit centralparknyc.org, or follow the Central Park Conservatory on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @centralparknyc. The light colored trim is made from granite quarried in Massachusetts. The Conservancy’s extensive restoration is immediately apparent—and attractive.
“Some people sneak up here and have weddings,” Dixon said. Throughout the year, various free family and community programs are hosted at Belvedere Castle, including "On A Wing" birding events, astronomy talks, storytelling, and even a haunted castle … [9]:60 As the plantings matured, the castle has been obscured from its original intended viewpoint. The original turret was replaced, the pavilions were rebuilt, and the castle was converted into a visitor center. Finally, for birdwatchers, the castle is an ideal location to catch a glimpse of a hawk, kestrel or osprey. The eastern elevation formerly faced a rectangular receiving reservoir that was part of the Croton Aqueduct system. All I can say is that you can light up Midtown as much as you want, but nothing will compare to the Belvedere at night.”. The Belvedere Castle is a part of history, but it’s also here, in the present, because of all of the people along the way who cared for the beautiful structure.
Additionally, just south of the castle, other data such as the rainfall was recorded and sent to the weather service's forecast office at Brookhaven National Library on Long Island. Do you need to book in advance to visit Belvedere Castle? Throughout the year, various free family and community programs are hosted at Belvedere Castle, including "On A Wing" birding events, astronomy talks, storytelling, and even a haunted castle event every Halloween.
A moody summer morning provided an enigmatic setting for a recent tour of the Belvedere prior to its formal opening. Inside the castle, longtime Belvedere volunteer Diann DeFebbe explained why a stone spiral staircase is oriented so one must ascend in a clockwise direction.
“I tell the kids when they come through here that the princess is up there sleeping,” he winked.
Unfortunately for tourists hoping to visit Central Park's iconic fortress, Belvedere Castle will be closed for the rest of 2018 for repairs. Admission is free, but it’s recommended visitors arrive early to beat the crowds, as the Park’s only castle attracts about a million people each year. “What was old is new again in terms of modern infrastructure and waterproofing and the recreation of detail that had been lost for a better part of a century,” Chris Nolan, the conservancy’s chief landscape architect, said. The Rag, out for a gambol on a sultry summer evening, dropped by Turtle Pond; across the water, the Belvedere, aglow amidst lush vegetation, was a magical sight.