Cleopatra's Needle (New York City)

This article is about the obelisk in New York City. For the article describing the original pair, see Cleopatra's Needles.

40°46′47″N 73°57′55″W / 40.779612°N 73.965414°W / 40.779612; -73.965414

An Egyptian obelisk, standing in a park
Cleopatra's Needle in Central Park, New York City (2017)
An Egyptian obelisk, standing near structures in Alexandria, Egypt
Cleopatra's Needle as it originally stood in Alexandria (1880)

Cleopatra's Needle in New York City is one of a pair of obelisks, together named Cleopatra's Needles, that were moved from the ruins of the Caesareum of Alexandria, Egypt, in the 19th century. The stele, dating from the 15th century B.C., was installed in Central Park, west of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's main building in Manhattan, on February 22, 1881.[1] It was secured in May 1877 by judge Elbert E. Farman, the United States Consul General at Cairo, as a gift from the Khedive for the United States remaining a friendly neutral as two European powers, France and Britain, maneuvered for political control of the Egyptian government. The transportation costs were largely paid by a railroad magnate, William Henry Vanderbilt, the eldest son of Cornelius Vanderbilt.[2][3]

  1. ^ "Obelisk". The Official Website of Central Park NYC. January 29, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  2. ^ D'Alton, Martina (1993). The New York Obelisk, Or, How Cleopatra's Needle Came to New York and what Happened when it Got Here. Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1993. Metropolitan Museum of Art/Abrams. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-87099-680-1.
  3. ^ Moldenke, Charles Edward (1891). The New York Obelisk, Cleopatra's Needle: With a Preliminary Sketch of the History, Erection, Uses, and Signification of Obelisks. CRL-E-Resources. A. D. F. Randolph and Company. p. 41.