William Cullen Bryant Park in Midtown is opening back up. William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens has over 2600 students. There's William Cullen Bryant Triangle Park in the Bronx. Out on Long Island there's even the William Cullent Bryant Preserve as well as a William Cullen Bryant Viaduct.
So who the hell was William Cullen Bryant?
He was a 19th century romantic poet, one of the first and most influential American poets. Among his fans and the writers he influenced were Edgar Allan Poe and Walt Whitman. Originally from Massachusetts, he lived and worked most of his life in NYC and, in addition to artistic achievements, became leading citizen of the city. Amongst the projects he proposed and advocated for -- a big park in the middle of Manhattan and a big museum in that very same park.
Yes, Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art were basically his brainchildren.
Greatly admired in his time, his legacy lives on in his poetry and the city he loved. He was even quoted by Martin Luther King in his speech "Give Us the Ballot": "Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again."
Truly a man for all ages.
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