Things to do nearPulitzer Fountain

The Pulitzer Fountain was completed in 1916, funded largely by a bequest from newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, whose will directed that a fountain be built to beautify the Grand Army Plaza at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. The design came from Carrere and Hastings, the same firm responsible for the New York Public Library, and the bronze Pomona figure was among the final works of sculptor Karl Bitter, who died before its installation.

Standing at the fountain today, you are surrounded by some of Midtown's most recognizable architecture. The Plaza Hotel rises immediately to the west, and the southern edge of The Pond at Central Park lies just steps away, offering a quiet counterpoint to the plaza's civic grandeur. A short stroll north leads to Gapstow Bridge, one of the park's most photographed stone arches.

The plaza itself has long served as a gathering point, from victory celebrations to film shoots to everyday New Yorkers eating lunch on the fountain's rim. It sits at the foot of the stretch of Fifth Avenue sometimes called the Gold Coast, lined with flagship stores and grand apartment buildings that define the neighborhood's character.

The Pulitzer Fountain is free to visit at any hour, requires no tickets, and connects naturally to a broader afternoon exploring New York's most celebrated public spaces, making it an ideal starting point for a walk through the heart of Manhattan.