| Dante Park | |
|---|---|
 Statue of author and poetDante Alighieri in Dante Park opposite theLincoln Center for the Performing Arts | |
 | |
| Location | Upper West Side,Manhattan,New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°46′19″N73°58′57″W / 40.77194°N 73.98250°W /40.77194; -73.98250 |
| Area | 0.14 acres (0.057 ha) |
| Created | 1921 |
| Operated by | New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |
Dante Park is apublic park inManhattan,New York City, located on theUpper West Side in front ofLincoln Center nearCentral Park.[1]
Dante Park was established in 1921 byItalian-Americans in honor of the Italian poetDante Alighieri (1265–1321) on a triangular plot of land opposite Lincoln Center, bounded byBroadway,Columbus Avenue, and West 63rd Street.Carlo Barsotti, the editor of the Italian-American newspaperIl Progresso Italo-Americano, originally wanted to erect a much more substantial statue of Dante to be placed inTimes Square around 1912, but because of fundraising difficulties opted for a smaller statue completed byEttore Ximenes to be erected at Broadway and West 63rd Street in 1921, the 600th anniversary of Dante's death.[2][1] Dante Park underwent renovations in the early 1990s funded by the neighboringRadisson Empire Hotel, with the sculpture also repaired.[1]
ADante Alighieri statue of the same casting as Dante Park is featured atMeridian Hill Park inWashington, D.C.[2]
40°46′19″N73°58′57″W / 40.77194°N 73.98250°W /40.77194; -73.98250
