Frederick Douglass Circle

Circle in Manhattan, New York

The plaza shortly after its 2010 completion

Frederick Douglass Circle is a traffic circle located at the northwest corner of Central Park at the intersection of Eighth Avenue (Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Central Park West) and 110th Street (Cathedral Parkway and Central Park North) in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The traffic circle is named for the American abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman, and reformer Frederick Douglass.

Frederick Douglass Circle connects the New York City neighborhoods of Harlem with the Upper West Side. Harlem, a major African-American residential, cultural, and business center, is to the north and east of the intersection. Cathedral Parkway climbs westward from here into Morningside Heights, which includes Columbia University, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.[1]

## Plaza[edit]

IRT Ninth Avenue Line in 1900

Although a ceremony was held to name the circle after Frederick Douglass on September 17, 1950, the pedestrian plaza in the center of the intersection was not completed until June 2, 2010.[2] In 1993, local residents and the Central Park Conservancy began developing plans to redesign the circle and make it symmetrical with Duke Ellington Circle at the northeast corner of Central Park.[3][4] Construction on the pedestrian plaza began in 2004 and was to be completed in one year. However, due to numerous construction delays, the plaza was not completed until June 2, 2010.[5]

The traffic circle features a complex colored paving pattern that alludes to traditional black quilt designs. Harlem-based artist Algernon Miller designed the paving. Additional features, including wrought-iron symbolic and decorative elements, a water wall, and inscribed historical details and quotations representing the life of Frederick Douglass and the slaves’ passage to freedom. A central bronze sculpture, depicting a standing Frederick Douglass, has been crafted by Hungarian-born artist Gabriel Koren.[6][7]

## Transportation[edit]

The B and ​C trains of the New York City Subway stop at Cathedral Parkway – 110th Street under Frederick Douglass Circle, while the M3, M4, and M10 bus lines stop at the circle. In addition, the M7 and M116 buses and the 2 and ​3 trains at Central Park North – 110th Street stop near Frederick Douglass Circle.[8][9] Until 1940, this was also the site of the "Suicide Curve" of the IRT Ninth Avenue Line.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Hughes, C.J. (December 13, 2015). "In Harlem, a New Condo at Frederick Douglass Circle". The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
2. ^ "City Circle Named in Negro's Honor". The New York Times. September 18, 1950. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
3. ^ Allen, Janet (May 5, 1996). "A Community's Challenge: Finding a Way to Redesign a Circle". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
4. ^ "Master Planning Case Study: Frederick Douglass Circle". Project for Public Spaces. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
5. ^ Polsky, Sara (January 20, 2010). "Harlem's Frederick Douglass Circle (Still) Really Close to Done". Curbed.com. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
6. ^ "Black History Month Celebration: New York City Parks Sculptures Honoring the African-American Experience". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
7. ^ Cohen, Noam (January 23, 2007). "In Douglass Tribute, Slave Folklore and Fact Collide". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
8. ^ "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
9. ^ "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frederick Douglass Circle.

* Public Art New York Times, 2009

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Harlem

Manhattan, New York City

Main topics|

* Crime
* Demographics
* Education
* History
* Harlem Renaissance
* List of films
* List of neighborhoods
* List of people

Subsections|

* East Harlem
* Hamilton Heights
* Italian Harlem
* Le Petit Senegal
* Manhattanville
* Sugar Hill

Designated
landmarks|

* 369th Regiment Armory
* Abyssinian Baptist Church
* Apollo Theater
* Astor Row
* Central Park
* Harlem Meer
* Lasker Rink
* North Woods
* Dunbar Apartments
* Graham Court
* Hamilton Grange National Memorial
* Harlem River Houses
* Harlem YMCA
* Hotel Theresa
* Langston Hughes House
* Macombs Dam Bridge
* Manhattan Avenue–West 120th–123rd Streets Historic District
* Metropolitan Baptist Church
* Minton's Playhouse
* Morningside Park
* Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
* Mount Morris Park Historic District
* NYPL 115th Street Library
* NYPL Schomburg Library
* St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church
* St. Andrew's Church
* St. Nicholas Historic District
* Wadleigh High School for Girls
* Washington Apartments

Other points
of interest|

* Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building
* All Saints Church
* ATLAH World Missionary Church
* Bushman Steps
* Cotton Club
* Duke Ellington Circle
* Frederick Douglass Circle
* Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts
* Harlem Children's Zone
* Harlem Hospital Center
* The Harlem School of the Arts
* Lenox Lounge
* Marcus Garvey Park
* Harlem Fire Watchtower
* Morningside Park
* National Black Theatre
* New York College of Podiatric Medicine
* Rucker Park
* Savoy Ballroom
* St. Nicholas Houses
* Studio Museum in Harlem
* Sylvia's Soul Food

See also: Manhattan Community Boards: 9, 10, 11

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* e

Upper West Side (including Lincoln Square, Manhattan Valley, Riverside South)

Manhattan, New York City

Buildings

| 59th–72nd Sts|

* 1 Lincoln Plaza
* 1 Riverside Park
* 5 West 63rd Street
* 15 Central Park West
* 50 West 66th Street
* 55 Central Park West
* 101 Central Park West
* 200 Amsterdam
* Bradford Hotel
* The Brentmore
* The Century
* Deutsche Bank Center
* The Dorilton
* Empire Hotel
* First Battery Armory
* Harperly Hall
* IRT Powerhouse
* Hotel des Artistes
* Lincoln Towers
* The Majestic
* Millennium Tower
* Park Loggia
* The Prasada
* Pythian Temple
* The Sofia
* Trump International Hotel and Tower
* Waterline Square

|

72nd–86th Sts|

* 257 Central Park West
* 520 West End Avenue
* The Ansonia
* The Apthorp
* Apple Bank Building
* The Astor
* Hotel Beacon
* Hotel Belleclaire
* The Beresford
* Bretton Hall
* Chitte Building
* The Dakota
* Endicott Hotel
* The Greystone
* The Kenilworth
* The Langham
* The Level Club
* Olcott Hotel
* Public School 9
* Red House
* Rossleigh Court
* The San Remo

86th–110th Sts|

* 161 West 93rd Street
* 353 Central Park West
* 360 Central Park West
* 370 Riverside Drive
* The Ariel
* Association Residence Nursing Home
* Astor Court Building
* The Belnord
* Claremont Riding Academy
* Columbus Square
* The Cornwall
* The El Dorado
* Frederick Douglass Houses
* Master Apartments
* Hotel Paris
* New York Cancer Hospital
* The Normandy
* Pomander Walk
* Schinasi Mansion
* The Turin

Former|

* Apthorp Farm
* Astor Market
* Charles M. Schwab House
* Lincoln Arcade
* Somerindyck House

Culture

| Shops, restaurants|

* Asiate
* Atlantic Grill
* Barney Greengrass
* Jean-Georges
* Murray's Sturgeon Shop
* Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto
* Zabar's

|

Museums|

* American Museum of Natural History
* Children's Museum of Manhattan
* Museum of Biblical Art
* New-York Historical Society

Theaters/performing arts|

* Arclight Theatre
* Beacon Theatre
* Stand Up NY
* Symphony Space
* Triad Theatre

| Lincoln Center|

* Alice Tully Hall
* David Geffen Hall
* David H. Koch Theater
* Rose Hall
* Metropolitan Opera House
* Vivian Beaumont Theater
* Walter Reade Theater

|

Former|

* Andanada
* Café des Artistes
* Century Theatre
* Dovetail
* Eighty One
* Metro Theater
* Mikell's
* Nicholas Roerich Museum
* A Photographer's Gallery
* Telepan

Green spaces and recreation

* Central Park
* Damrosch Park
* Riverside Park
* Sherman Square
* Septuagesimo Uno
* Verdi Square
* West Side Community Garden

Education

| Primary and secondary|

* The Anderson School PS 334
* Calhoun School
* Collegiate School
* Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School
* Dwight School
* Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School
* Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
* Gateway School
* Innovation Diploma Plus High School
* Manhattan Day School
* PS 9 Sarah Anderson School
* PS 166
* The School at Columbia University
* Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan
* Stephen Gaynor School
* Studio Maestro
* Trinity School

|

Post-secondary|

* Bard Graduate Center
* Fordham University School of Law
* William E. Macaulay Honors College
* Yeshivat Hadar

Music schools|

* Bloomingdale School of Music
* Kaufman Music Center
* Mannes School of Music

Religion

| Churches, chapels|

* Advent Lutheran Church
* All Angels' Church
* Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
* Broadway United Church of Christ
* Christ & Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church
* Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew
* Church of the Ascension, Roman Catholic
* Church of the Blessed Sacrament
* First Baptist Church in the City of New York
* First Church of Christ, Scientist
* Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York
* Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church
* Holy Trinity Church
* Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
* Riverside Memorial Chapel
* Rutgers Presbyterian Church
* St. Agnes Chapel
* Second Church of Christ, Scientist
* St. Gregory the Great Church
* St. Ignatius of Antioch Church
* St. Michael's Episcopal Church
* Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Manhattan
* West End Collegiate Church
* West-Park Presbyterian Church

|

Synagogues|

* Ansche Chesed
* B'nai Jeshurun
* Congregation Habonim
* Congregation Ohab Zedek
* Congregation Rodeph Sholom
* Congregation Shaare Zedek
* Congregation Shearith Israel
* Jewish Center
* Lincoln Square Synagogue
* Ramath Orah
* Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

Transportation

| Subway stations|

* 66th Street–Lincoln Center
* 72nd Street/Central Park West
* 72nd Street/Broadway
* 79th Street
* 81st Street–Museum of Natural History
* 86th Street/Central Park West
* 86th Street/Broadway
* 96th Street/Central Park West
* 96th Street/Broadway
* 103rd Street/Central Park West
* 103rd Street/Broadway
* Cathedral Parkway–110th Street/Central Park West
* Cathedral Parkway–110th Street/Broadway

|

Streets|

* 66th Street
* 72nd Street
* 74th Street
* 79th Street
* 85th Street
* 89th Street
* 95th Street
* 96th Street
* Amsterdam Avenue
* Broadway
* Central Park West
* Columbus Avenue
* Columbus Circle
* Frederick Douglass Circle
* Riverside Drive
* West End Avenue

Other|

* New York Central Railroad 69th Street Transfer Bridge
* 79th Street Boat Basin

Related topics

* Central Park West Historic District
* Manhattantown
* San Juan Hill

See also: Manhattan Community Board 7

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Streets of Manhattan

* Commissioners' Plan of 1811
* List of eponymous streets in New York City
* List of numbered streets in Manhattan

North–South|

| Major Avenues|

* 1st Av
* 2nd Av
* 3rd Av
* Lexington Av
* Park Av
* Madison Av
* 5th Av
* Broadway
* 6th Av (Av of the Americas)
* Lenox Av
* 7th Av (Fashion Av)
* 8th Av
* 9th Av
* 10th Av
* 11th Av
* 12th Av

|

Financial District|

* South
* Pearl
* Broad
* William
* Nassau
* Theatre Alley
* Whitehall
* Canyon of Heroes
* State
* West

Lower East Side|

* Allen
* Pike
* Baxter
* Centre Market Pl
* Bowery
* Centre
* Division
* Chrystie
* Coenties Slip
* Eldridge
* Elizabeth
* Essex
* Forsyth
* Lafayette
* Doyers
* Rivington
* Ludlow
* Mott
* Mulberry
* Orchard
* Park Row
* Spring

Lower West Side|

* Cortlandt Alley
* Trinity Pl
* Church
* Greenwich
* Hudson
* Jones
* MacDougal
* Patchin Pl
* Sullivan
* Gay
* Thompson
* Varick
* Washington
* W Broadway
* LaGuardia Pl
* Weehawken
* West Side Hwy
* Bank
* 13th Av

East Village / Gramercy|

* Ave D
* Ave C
* Ave B
* Ave A
* Asser Levy Pl
* Shevchenko Pl
* Irving Pl
* 4th Av
* Union Square E
* Park Av S
* University Pl
* Union Square W

Midtown|

* Beekman Pl
* Sutton Pl
* Park Av Viaduct
* Park Av Tunnel
* Vanderbilt Av
* Rockefeller Plz
* 6½ Av
* Great White Way
* Shubert Alley
* Dyer Av
* Hudson Blvd

Upper East / Upper West|

* East End Av
* York Av
* Museum Mile
* East Dr
* Center Dr
* West Dr
* Central Park W
* Columbus Av
* Amsterdam Av
* West End Av
* Riverside Dr

Harlem / Wash. Hts.|

* Pleasant Av
* Lenox Av (Malcolm X Blvd)
* Powell Blvd
* Douglass Blvd
* Morningside Dr
* Audubon Av
* St. Nicholas Av (Duarte Blvd)
* Claremont Av
* Ft. Washington Av
* Cabrini Blvd
* Sylvan Pl
* Tiemann Pl

East–West|

| Financial District|

* Bridge
* Stone
* Marketfield
* Beaver
* Exchange Pl
* Wall
* Albany
* Liberty
* Cortlandt St/Wy
* Maiden La
* Dey
* Fulton
* Vesey
* Ann

|

Downtown|

* Spruce
* Roosevelt
* Chambers
* E Broadway
* Henry
* Madison
* Cherry
* Worth
* N Moore
* Broome
* Canal
* Hester
* Grand
* Delancey
* Stanton
* Houston
* Vandam
* Bleecker
* Bond
* Great Jones
* 4th
* Waverly Pl
* Washington Square N
* Astor Pl
* Washington Mews
* Stuyvesant
* Macdougal Alley
* 8th
* St. Mark's Pl
* Greenwich Av
* Christopher
* Charles
* 14th

Midtown|

* 23rd
* 34th
* 42nd
* 45th (George Abbott Way)
* 47th
* 50th
* 51st
* 52nd (Swing Alley / St of Jazz)
* 53rd
* 54th
* 55th
* 57th
* 59th (Central Park S)

Uptown|

* 66th / Peter Jennings Way
* 72nd
* 74th
* 79th
* 85th
* 86th
* 89th
* 93rd
* 95th
* 96th
* 110th (Cathedral Pkwy / Central Park N)
* 116th
* 125th (Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd)
* 130th (Astor Row)
* 132nd
* 133rd
* 139th (Strivers' Row)
* 145th
* 155th
* Bogardus Pl
* Dyckman
* Plaza Lafayette

Intersections|

| Circles|

* Columbus
* Duke Ellington
* Frederick Douglass

|

Squares|

* Chatham
* Cooper
* Duarte
* Duffy
* Foley
* Gramercy Park
* Grand Army Plz
* Hanover
* Herald
* Hudson
* Jackson
* Lincoln
* Madison
* Mulry
* Pershing
* Petrosino
* Sherman
* Stuyvesant
* Times
* Tompkins
* Union
* Verdi
* Washington
* Zuccotti Park

* Italics indicate streets no longer in existence.
* All entries are streets, circles, or squares unless otherwise noted
* See also: Manhattan address algorithm

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Central Park

Manhattan, New York City

Geographical features

* Cedar Hill
* Conservatory Garden
* Conservatory Water
* Great Lawn and Turtle Pond
* Harlem Meer
* Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir
* McGowan's Pass
* North Woods and North Meadow
* The Pond and Hallett Nature Sanctuary
* The Ramble and Lake
* Rat Rock
* Sawkill (historical)
* Seneca Village (historical)
* Sheep Meadow
* Strawberry Fields

Sculptures and public art

* 107th Infantry Memorial
* Alice in Wonderland sculpture
* Angel of the Waters
* Balto
* Simón Bolívar
* Burnett Memorial Fountain
* Robert Burns
* Christopher Columbus
* Cleopatra's Needle
* Delacorte Clock
* Duke Ellington Memorial
* Frederick Douglass Memorial
* Eagles and Prey
* The Falconer
* Fitz-Greene Halleck
* Alexander Hamilton
* Victor Herbert
* Indian Hunter
* King Jagiello Monument
* José Martí
* Giuseppe Mazzini
* Samuel Finley Breese Morse
* Romeo and Juliet
* José de San Martín
* Sir Walter Scott
* Seventh Regiment Memorial
* William Shakespeare
* J. Marion Sims (moved 2018)
* The Gates (temporary, 2005)
* The Tempest
* Untermyer Fountain
* Three Dancing Maidens
* USS Maine National Monument
* Daniel Webster
* Women's Rights Pioneers Monument

Other features

* Arsenal
* Ballplayers House
* Belvedere Castle
* Bethesda Terrace and Fountain
* Blockhouse
* Bridges
* Bow
* Carousel
* Central Park Casino (demolished)
* Cherry Hill Fountain
* The Dairy
* Delacorte Theater
* Diana Ross Playground
* Fort Clinton
* Heckscher Playground
* Lasker Rink
* Mall
* Marionette Theatre
* McGown's Pass Tavern (demolished)
* Richard Morris Hunt Memorial
* Rumsey Playfield
* Tavern on the Green
* Victorian Gardens
* Wollman Rink
* Zoo
* Zoo York Wall
* Zoo York

Events

* Be-Ins
* The Concert
* UAE Healthy Kidney 10K
* New York Mini 10K
* Concerto: One Night in Central Park
* Shakespeare in the Park
* SummerStage

Transport

| Border roads|

| Frederick Douglass Circle | 110th Street | Duke Ellington Circle

|
|

Eighth Avenue |

Central Park

| Fifth Avenue
Columbus Circle | 59th Street | Grand Army Plaza

Transverses|

* 66th
* 79th
* 85th
* 97th

Subway stations|

* Fifth Avenue–59th Street
* 59th Street–Columbus Circle
* 72nd Street
* 81st Street
* 86th Street
* 96th Street
* 103rd Street
* Cathedral Parkway–110th Street
* Central Park North–110th Street

Notable figures

* Elizabeth Barlow Rogers
* Andrew Haswell Green
* Jacob Wrey Mould
* Frederick Law Olmsted
* Ignaz Anton Pilat
* Starr Saphir
* Calvert Vaux
* Egbert Ludovicus Viele
* George E. Waring Jr.

Notable animals

* Barry
* Flaco
* Mandarin Patinkin
* Pale Male
* Pattycake

Miscellaneous

* Birdwatching incident
* Conservancy
* Jogger case
* Medical Unit
* Popular culture

See also: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

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Frederick Douglass

Autobiographies|

* Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845)
* My Bondage and My Freedom (1855)
* Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881)

Newspapers|

* The North Star

Fiction|

* The Heroic Slave, a heartwarming Narrative of the Adventures of Madison Washington, in Pursuit of Liberty (1852)

Speeches|

* American Anti-Slavery Society 1843 lecture tour
* "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" (1852)
* "The Constitution of the United States: is it pro-slavery or anti-slavery?" (1860)
* "Self-Made Men" (1885)

Life|

* Seneca Falls Convention
* Fugitive Slave Convention
* Equal Rights Party (1872 vice presidential nominee)
* Douglass Place
* Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (home and memorial)

Honors|

* List of things named after Frederick Douglass
* U.S. Capitol statue
* Frederick Douglass Memorial
* Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge
* Douglass–Anthony Memorial Bridge
* Frederick Douglass Circle
* Douglass Park
* Frederick Douglass Memorial Park
* University of Maryland statue
* Rochester statue
* Denver statue
* Banneker-Douglass Museum
* Washington, D.C. neighborhood

Family|

* Anna Murray Douglass (first wife)
* Helen Pitts Douglass (second wife)
* Rosetta Douglass (daughter)
* Lewis Henry Douglass (son)
* Charles Remond Douglass (son)
* Joseph Douglass (grandson)
* Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry (granddaughter)

Related|

* African American founding fathers of the United States
* Frederick Douglass (1985 opera)
* Frederick Douglass (1991 opera)
* Frederick Douglass and the White Negro (2008 documentary)
* The Good Lord Bird (2020 miniseries)
* John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
* Nathan and Mary Johnson home
* Shields Green

40°48′02″N 73°57′29″W﻿ / ﻿40.800583°N 73.958167°W﻿ / 40.800583; -73.958167
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