Fifth Avenue Plaza - A new public destination at the gateway to Central Park

Year: 2026
City: New York, United States
Street address: Grand Army Plaza
Client: Fifth Avenue Association
Developer: New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT)
Landscape architect: Field Operations
Application: Street

At the southern edge of Central Park, where Fifth Avenue meets Grand Army Plaza, a new pedestrian plaza has transformed a former traffic corridor into a welcoming public destination. Located between The Plaza Hotel, Pulitzer Fountain and Central Park, the project occupies one of New York City's most prominent public addresses. The transformation forms part of the wider Future of Fifth initiative, a long-term effort to create a more pedestrian-friendly Fifth Avenue through wider pavements, increased planting and new spaces for public life.

Developed by the Fifth Avenue Association in collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation and landscape architecture practice Field Operations, the project reclaims valuable space for people in an area that welcomes millions of visitors each year but historically offered few opportunities to stop, meet and stay.

For the new plaza, Vestre supplied APRIL two-seaters and four-seaters in perforated steel with integrated accessible seating solutions, together with custom-designed planters. Working closely with the Fifth Avenue Association and the wider project team, Vestre developed a bespoke solution tailored to one of New York City's most visible public spaces. Finished in colours reflecting the Association’s visual identity, the furniture creates a distinctive and cohesive identity throughout the plaza. The custom planters were manufactured using SSAB Zero™ steel, combining a striking appearance with lower-carbon material choices.

A key requirement was flexibility. While substantial enough to withstand intensive daily use, the furniture was designed to be movable, allowing the space to adapt to changing needs and events throughout the year.

Today, the plaza provides seating, planting and places to pause in an area that previously served primarily as a movement corridor. With capacity for up to 64 visitors, the space creates a new public living room at the entrance to Central Park and demonstrates how thoughtfully designed public furniture can help transform high-traffic urban environments into places for everyday life and social interaction.

Project Information

Products: APRIL two-seaters, APRIL four-seaters, custom-designed planters

Colours: RAL 3005, RAL 7043

Custom Planters: Manufactured using SSAB Zero™ steel