Located in Central Park is Belvedere Castle, which in Italian means ‘beautiful view.’
Originally designed in 1865 by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould, Belvedere Castle was intended to be a Victorian Folly.
In 2018, the Central Park Conservancy conducted a second renovation of Belvedere Castle.
It contains exhibit rooms and an observation deck, and since 1919, has also housed the official Central Park weather station. The castle serves now as a visitor center and gift shop.
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.
