1861-1929
Also called the "Whisper Bench" this
elegant structure, located in the Shakespeare Garden in a square directly
opposite the west stairway leading to
Belvedere Castle, Central Park is a memorial
to the New York City Park Commissioner,
Charles Stover (1910-14) and founder
of the Outdoor Recreation League.
The league was an independent advocacy
group that provided slides, seesaws and
overseers for neighborhood playgrounds.
These playgrounds were located in small
parks and in slum districts.
The work of the league began the same
year that the boroughs of New York
were consolidated, 1898 and provided
greatly needed services in restoring
and revitalizing parks like the Seward
and De Witt Clinton, which were now
being acquired by the Parks Department
through the 1887 Small Parks Act.
