Bryant Park at 6th Ave. and 42nd St. In the background is the NY Public Library. William Earl Dodge (a champion of the American Indian) is up on his pedestal. Photo by Paul Goldfinger © Click to enlarge the image.
DJANGO REINHARDT “Brazil” There actually is an Americas theme in Bryant Park, where there is a statue of Jose Bonfacio de Andrada e Silva who is the patriarch of Brazilian independence.
Interestingly, today (2015) the Smithsonian is announcing the discovery of a slave ship that sunk in 1794 off Cape Town. It was carrying slaves from Mozambique to Brazil where they would work the sugar fields. Slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888.
And, you have of course heard of the Avenue of the Americas which runs parallel to Bryant Park.
“Avenue of the Americas” was an attempt by the city government in 1945 to upgrade Sixth Avenue which had long suffered from an elevated train removed around 1939.
Decorative round signs with the seals of various countries were attached to light posts, but most of these decayed and were removed for safety reasons.
The new name was never really popular except in some office building addresses.