Compass Roses - In Public Places

Compass roses appear in various public places - parks and plazas, for example. This page is devoted to those designs.

Here is a list of locations of compass roses in pretty much the order I discovered them. Eventually, I hope to present pictures of them as well. Various maps - including ones at the website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation - are extremely helpful in my search, but they unfortunately do not present every small greenspace, some of which do contain compass roses. And even though I have gotten more knowledgeable about where compass roses might be located, a lot of serendipity is involved in my discoveries.

This list is by no means intended to be exhaustive, for several reasons:

1. Even if I limit myself to just New York City parks, there's a lot of ground to cover. I'm only human, so I'm bound to miss some areas.
2. Some candidate spaces (Gramercy Park, for example) aren't accessible for one reason or another.
3. Even though my "quest" has taken me to many areas which I had not previously visited, I just won't travel to certain neighborhoods.
4. Since parks are - fortunately - in a constant state of renovation, this exercise would require me to revisit each location periodically. Also, new parks and greenspaces are being created. As a result, I'm almost certain to be out-of-date somewhere.
5. Some buildings, too, contain compass roses. As with parks and greenspaces I can't possibly check every structure, and security presumably would prohibit me from entering certain buildings.
6. On top of it all, I have overlooked compass roses on several occasions. A subsequent, more careful observation of a site will reveal what I have missed. Once again, I'm only human.

Location	Comments
Grand Central Station, Manhattan, NY	The rose is on the mezzanine level of the station, above the Lexington Avenue line. Getting a photograph of this one might prove to be difficult, since it's right in the middle of a heavily-trafficked area. Also, there is a pillar smack dab in the middle of the design. There is a photograph and a description of the rose on this page, which is part of an online version of a special issue of Natural History magazine.
Doughboy Park, Woodside, Queens, NY	This park is a narrow strip which runs along the southwest side of Woodside Avenue, from around 54th Street to 56th Street.
Quick Brown Fox Triangle, Woodside, Queens, NY	This is a very small triangle which is bounded by Broadway, 34th Avenue, and 59th Street. Around the periphery of the metallic 32-point rose are eight directions (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW) and pictures - not the symbols - of the twelve signs of the zodiac. For example, for Pisces there is a design consisting of two fish, not O .
Virginia Principe Playground, Maspeth, Queens, NY	This playground is bounded by Maurice Park, 54th Avenue, 63rd Street, and the Queens Midtown Expressway.
L/Cpl Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground, Sunnyside, Queens, NY	This playground is bounded by 42nd Street, 47th Avenue, 43rd Street, and Greenpoint Avenue. The eight-point rose, marked with the four cardinal directions, is located a few feet within its entrance at Greenpoint Avenue and 43rd Street.
Showboat Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, NJ	The rose is on the roof of the casino, so it is not visible from street level.
Long Island Mews, Woodside, Queens, NY	This park is a small triangular wedge, just east of 72nd Place, which is bounded by 51st Avenue, 51st Road, and the Long Island Railroad main line. The rose has a very imaginative design, in which a butterfly appears at its center.
Continental Army Plaza, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This plaza is a small plot of land alongside the Brooklyn approach to the Williamsburg Bridge, which is bounded by South 4th Street, Roebling Street, South 5th Street, and South 5th Place, and which contains an eight-point rose in which the four cardinal directions are marked with inlaid brass letters (N, E, S, and W). Surrounding the rose is a circular ring around which, in inlaid brass letters, reads "90 MILES TO GEORGE WASHINGTON'S ENCAMPMENT AT VALLEY FORGE." On the outside of the ring, pointing in a generally west-southwest direction, is an arrow, presumably directed towards Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Cowbird Triangle, Maspeth, Queens, NY	This small triangular wedge is bounded by Jay Avenue, Hamilton Place, and the Queens Midtown Expressway. The 16-point rose - in concrete - is marked with the four cardinal directions, and has a simple sunburst design.
Peter Chahales Park (formerly Horse Cars Rest Stop), Maspeth, Queens, NY	This small triangular wedge is bounded by 69th Street, the Queens Midtown Expressway, and 58th Avenue. The rose is of the metallic zodiac style.
Atlantic City Bus Terminal, Atlantic City, NJ	There's a large eight-point terrazzo marble compass rose on the floor of this building.
Triangular wedge (no name), Long Island City, Queens, NY	This small triangular wedge is bounded by Crescent Street, Hunter Street, and 44th Road. There is a compass rose on the face of a sundial in this small space.
Joe Sabba Park, Woodside, Queens, NY	This park - actually an enlarged traffic median with benches and foliage - lies in the middle of Queens Boulevard, between 48th and 50th Streets. The rose - of the metallic zodiac style - is just east of the obelisk and the flagpole.
Winfield Plaza, Woodside, Queens, NY	This small space is at the northeast corner of 65th Place and Laurel Hill Boulevard. The eight-point rose is marked with the four cardinal directions. Its design is in the center of a concrete rectangle.
Nathan Weidenbaum Park, Woodside, Queens, NY	This park is located on the south side of Laurel Hill Boulevard, between 63rd and 64th Streets. The rose is of the metallic zodiac style.
Musical Triangle, Maspeth, Queens, NY	This small triangular space - I don't understand the significance of its whimsical name, but I like it - is on the west side of 69th Street, where Maurice Avenue splits into 51st Avenue and Calamus Avenue. The four-point rose is marked with only north.
11 East 35th Street, Manhattan, NY	The rose is on the floor of the building's lobby.
Triangular wedge (no name), Woodside, Queens, NY	This small triangular wedge is bounded by 62nd Street, 65th Place, and 52nd Avenue. The rose is of the metallic zodiac style.
Rosemary's Playground, Ridgewood, Queens, NY	This playground is located at the northeast corner of Woodward Avenue and Madison Street. The eight-point rose, marked with the four cardinal directions, is actually outside the playground.
Father Jerzy Popieluszko Square, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY	This triangular space is located at the point where Nassau Avenue and Bedford Avenue merge. The rose is of the metallic zodiac style.
Vincent V. Abate Playground, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is within McCarren Park, and is bounded by Lorimer Street, Driggs Avenue, Manhattan Avenue, and Leonard Street. The rose is of the metallic zodiac style.
Woodtree Playground, Astoria, Queens, NY	This park is located on the north side of 20th Avenue, between 37th and 38th Streets. The rose is in the southwest corner of the playground.
Frank D. O'Connor Playground, Elmhurst, Queens, NY	This playground is bounded by 78th Street, Broadway, and Woodside Avenue. The rose is incorporated into the design of the water sprinkler.
Brigadier General Joseph Hart Memorial Playground, Woodside, Queens, NY	This playground is bounded by 65th Street, Broadway, 69th Street, and 37th Avenue. The rose is incorporated into the design of the water sprinkler.
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Corona, Queens, NY	The rose is located at the foot of the Passarelle Ramp, at the Gotham Plaza Entrance. It is is a very large circle containing a graphic of the symbolic Trylon and Perisphere structures from the 1939-1940 World's Fair. Outside the periphery of the circle are inscribed markers for each of the four cardinal directions.
Junction Playground, East Elmhurst, Queens, NY	This park is located on the north side of 34th Avenue, between Junction Boulevard and 96th Street. The rose is of the concrete sunburst style.
McCarren Park, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY	The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is located near some benches, a short distance inside the park from the Bedford Avenue side, between North 12th Street and Lorimer Street.
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Corona, Queens, NY	There is a rose which is located at the base of a funky-looking sundial outside the entrance of the New York Hall of Science.
Sean's Place Playground, Astoria, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the east side of 38th Street, between 31st Avenue and Broadway. The rose is at the base of the flagpole.
Charybdis Playground, Astoria, Queens, NY	This playground is within Astoria Park. There is a rose-like design which is incorporated into that of the water sprinkler, in which the four points are decorated with seahorses. I'll have to verify with a compass whether the points indicate the four cardinal directions. Additionally, there is a concrete sunburst-style rose within this playground.
Msgr. McGolrick Park, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY	This park is bounded by Nassau Avenue, Monitor Street, Driggs Avenue, and Russell Street. The rose - which is located just inside an entrance along Russell Street, between Nassau Avenue and Driggs Avenue - is of the metallic zodiac style.
Whitefish Triangle, Maspeth, Queens, NY	This triangular space is bounded by the Queens Midtown Expressway, Perry Avenue, and Hamilton Place. The rose is at the base of the flagpole.
Playground Thirty Five XXXV, Long Island City, Queens, NY	This playground is on the southeast corner of Steinway Street and 35th Avenue. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is located just inside the entrance on Steinway Street.
Seven Oaks Triangle, Astoria, Queens, NY	This triangular space is bounded by 37th Street, 24th Avenue, and Astoria Boulevard North. The rose, of the metallic zodiac style, is on the periphery of this greenspace, near the benches on the Astoria Boulevard side.
Justice Gilbert Ramirez Park, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This park, renovated in 2001 - which I discovered through the New York City Parks Department website (see section below) has a compass rose - is on the south side of McKibbin Street, between Bogart and White Streets. The rose, marked with only north, is designed to resemble a subway token, and bears the inscription "Good For One Play." In fact, the children's play area is structured around a subway theme. See this page for the design of this park, in both written and graphic form.
Copernicus Triangle, Maspeth, Queens, NY	This small triangular wedge is bounded by 60th Street, the Queens Midtown Expressway, and 55th Drive. The compass, marked with the four cardinal directions, is made of carved granite, I believe, and in its center is a depiction of a soaring eagle.
Frontera Park, Maspeth, Queens, NY	This park is bounded by Brown Place, the Queens Midtown Expressway, 69th Street, and 58th Avenue. The compass isn't so much a rose as just a directional arrow pointing north.
William E. Sheridan Playground, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is located on the east side of Wythe Avenue, between Grand Street and South 1st Street. The rose is of a gear-shaped design.
Berry Playground, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is located on the south side of South 3rd Street, between Berry Street and Bedford Avenue. The rose is around the base of the flagpole.
Greenpoint Playground, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is bounded by Commercial Street, DuPont Street, and Franklin Street. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is located just inside the entrance on Franklin Street.
St. Michael's Playground, Woodside, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the south side of 30th Avenue, between two branches of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The rose, which is in the northwest corner of the playground, consists of a large baseball over a baseball bat, with the head of the bat pointing north.
Starr Street Playground, Ridgewood, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the south side of Onderdonk Avenue, between Starr Street and Willoughby Avenue. The rose is of the concrete sunburst style.
Greenhouse Playground, Woodhaven, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the west side of Woodhaven Boulevard, between Myrtle Avenue and Forest Park Drive, within Forest Park. The rose is of the concrete sunburst style.
Arrow Community Garden, Astoria, Queens, NY	This small space is located on the west side of 35th Street, between 35th and 36th Avenues. The rose has 16 points, none of which - even north - is marked.
Triboro Bridge Playground B, Astoria, Queens, NY	This playground is bounded by 21st Street, Hoyt Avenue North, 23rd Street, and Hoyt Avenue South, underneath the Triboro Bridge. The rose is of the concrete sunburst style.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens Playground, Manhattan, NY	This playground is located on the east side of Second Avenue, between 19th and 20th Streets. The rose, which is in the southwest corner of the playground near the flagpole, is of the concrete sunburst style.
Fleetwood Triangle, Rego Park, Queens, NY	This triangular space is bounded by Woodhaven Boulevard, Penelope Avenue, and 63rd Drive. The rose is of the metallic zodiac style.
Nat Schneider Triangle, Forest Hills, Queens, NY	This Greenstreet is bounded by Trotting Course Lane, Polo Place, and Woodhaven Boulevard. The rose is of the metallic zodiac style.
Quick Brown Fox Park, Maspeth, Queens, NY	This small sitting area is bounded by the Queens Midtown Expressway, 73rd Street, and 57th Road. The rose is of the metallic zodiac style. (For the record, although a granite marker there reads "Quick Brown Fox Park," a green plastic historical sign indicates "Quick Brown Fox Triangle" - the same name as a Greenstreet in Woodside.)
Steuben Playground, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is bounded by Steuben Street, Flushing Avenue, and Williamsburg Street West, just west of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The rose is outside the southwest corner of the playground, at the intersection of Steuben Street and Williamsburg Street West.
Roebling Playground, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is on the block bounded by Taylor Street, Bedford Avenue, Lee Avenue, and Wilson Street. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is located inside the park, on its Taylor Street side.
Jacob's Ladder Playground, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is located on the north side of Clymer Street, between Kent and Wythe Avenues.
Roberto Clemente Ballfield, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This park is located on the south side of Division Avenue, between Kent and Wythe Avenues. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style, and tinted green - is located just beyond the outfield fence.
174 Broadway, Manhattan, NY	There is a compass rose around the face of a clock which is embedded in the sidewalk outside this building, at the northeast corner of Broadway and Maiden Lane. The ground floor of this building is occupied by the establishment of William Barthman Jewelers, for which the clock serves as an advertisement. A photograph of the clock in better times can be viewed at this page . Oddly, the directions on the face are inscribed such that east and west are at the top and the bottom, respectively, and north and south are at the left and the right.
85 Broad Street, Manhattan, NY	There is a small compass rose on each of two brass plaques located outside each main entrance to this building, which contains the offices of Goldman Sachs & Co. - on its Broad Street side, and on the side facing Coenties Alley. Each plaque bears a historical map from the era of the Dutch in New Amsterdam.
Fermi Playground, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is on the block bounded by Troutman Street, Wilson Avenue, Starr Street, and Central Avenue. (It shares the block with a school.) The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is located outside the park, at the corner of Troutman Street and Central Avenue.
Green Central Knoll, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY	This park - the greater part of which consists of a ballfield - occupies almost all of the block which is bounded by Central Avenue, Noll Street, Evergreen Avenue, and Flushing Avenue. Supposedly it occupies the site at which the Rheingold Brewery once stood. (See: Historical Sign ) The rose is in the small garden area at the corner of Noll Street and Evergreen Avenue. It is designed to look like a baseball, and includes what appear to be four foxes running around the bases, which are marked with the four cardinal directions - "W" is first base, "S" is second base, "E" is third base, and "N" is home plate.
Green Central Knoll Playground, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is part of Green Central Knoll. It is in the opposite side of the park from the garden mentioned above, along the park's Central Avenue side, a short distance from the corner of Central and Flushing Avenues. The eight-point rose, which is marked with the appropriate eight directions, and which has demarcations for 1/16ths, is small and metallic, and is incorporated into the design of the water sprinkler.
Frost Playground, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is located on Frost Street at Debevoise Avenue in the Cooper Park Houses complex. The rose is at the base of the flagpole.
Glendale Playground, Glendale, Queens, NY	This park is located on the north side of Central Avenue, between 70th and 71st Streets. The rose - in concrete - is located just inside the entrance at Central Avenue and 70th Street, and it contains in its center a graphic of two fish in head-to-tail position as in the usual depiction of the Pisces astrological sign. What the significance of that design is, I'm not sure.
Juniper Valley Park, Middle Village, Queens, NY	The rose is located behind the grandstand seats overlooking the oval running track, just inside the park's perimeter at Lutheran Avenue, between 71st and 74th Streets.
Maurice A. FitzGerald Playground, Ozone Park, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the west side of 104th Street, between Atlantic and 94th Avenues. The compass isn't so much a rose as just a directional "arrow" in the shape of an inverted shepherd's crook with just a marker for north, and is set into the center of the spray area. According to the Historical Sign page for this park at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation website, the playground's theme was inspired by FitzGerald's Irish heritage. Its design features sheep figures, a "woven" paving pattern, and wool-colored concrete. Other sheep motifs have also been scattered throughout the area, with a life-size concrete sheep, as well as plantings of Lamb's Ear, Sheepberry, and Sheep Laurel.
Weeping Beech Park, Flushing, Queens, NY	This park is located on the north side of 37th Avenue, between Bowne Street and Parsons Boulevard. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is near the base of the flagpole, just inside the park entrance.
Murray Hill Playground, Flushing, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the east side of Murray Street, between Barclay and Sanford Avenues. The rose - of the metallic zodiac style - is in a small garden near the corner of Murray Street and Sanford Avenue.
Thomas J. Travers Park, Jackson Heights, Queens, NY	This park is located on the north side of 34th Avenue, between 77th and 78th Streets. The rose is in the northeast corner of the park.
Playground Ninety, Elmhurst, Queens, NY	This playground is located between 89th and 90th Streets, on the block bounded by 89th Street, 32nd Avenue, 90th Street, and Northern Boulevard. (It shares the block with PS 148 on its north, and with shops on its south.) The rose is around the base of the flagpole, with just a marker for north, and contains an imaginative design of a fox chasing geese.
Denis P. Gorman Playground, Elmhurst, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the block bounded by 84th Street, 25th Avenue, 85th Street, and 30th Avenue. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is just south of the Gorman Playschool building.
Bulova Playground, Jackson Heights, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the north side of 25th Avenue, around 76th Street. Fashioned in a metallic hexagon, the rose has 16 points.
Hoyt Playground, Astoria, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the north side of Hoyt Avenue North, between 29th and 31st Streets. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is in the northeast corner of the playground.
Thomas Greene Playground, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is bounded by Nevins Street, Douglass Street, 3rd Avenue, and De Graw Street. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is near the base of the flagpole.
Boerum Park, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, NY	This park is located on the block bounded by Smith Street, Warren Street, Court Street, and Baltic Street. The rose, small and metallic, is located a short distance from the Baltic Street entrance. I have seen another rose of this design before, possibly the one in Green Central Knoll Playground.
Palmetto Playground, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is located on the block bounded by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, State Street, Hicks Street, and Atlantic Avenue. The rose is colorful, sporting a large arrow through its design, and is located a short distance from the entrance on Atlantic Avenue.
Van Voorhees Playground, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is located on the north side of Congress Street, between Columbia Street and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The rose, small and metallic - identical to the one in Boerum Park (and possibly the one in Green Central Knoll Playground) - is located a short distance from the Congress Street entrance.
Addabbo Playground, Ozone Park, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the north side of North Conduit Avenue, between 80th and 83rd Streets. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is located just to the west of the parkkeeper's building.
Centreville Playground, Ozone Park, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the north side of Albert Road, between 96th and Centreville Streets. The rose is incorporated into the design of the water sprinkler.
Gracie Mansion, Manhattan, NY	There is a 32-point rose on the floor of the foyer of Gracie Mansion. Most of it is visible in the photograph on this page .
135 East 57th Street, Manhattan, NY	The rose is in a small plaza outside the building on the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 57th Street.
43-30 44th Street, Sunnyside, Queens, NY	There are eight-point roses in the design of the terrazzo marble floor of the lobby of this apartment building.
Freedom Square, Flushing, Queens, NY	This park is located on the north half of the block bounded by Vleigh Place, 75th Avenue, Main Street, and 76th Avenue. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is tinted red.
Rachel Carson Playground, Flushing, Queens, NY	This park is located on the west side of Colden Street, just to the north of Juniper Avenue. The rose contains quotes - presumably from Rachel Carson.
Vleigh Playground, Flushing, Queens, NY	This playground is located on the block bounded by 150th Street, 70th Road, Kissena Boulevard, and 71st Avenue. The small compass rose is a short distance inside the playground's southeast entrance.
Gutenberg Playground, Manhattan, NY	This park is located on the north side of West 49th Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. The 16-point rose, with demarcations for 1/32nds, is marked with 32 directions (N, N by E, NNE, NE by N, NE, NE by E, ENE, E by N, E, E by S, ESE, SE by E, SE, SE by S, SSE, S by E, S, S by W, SSW, SW by S, SW, SW by W, WSW, W by S, W, W by N, WNW, NW by W, NW, NW by N, NNW, N by W), and is in the form of a metallic disk. It is emblazoned with "City of New York / Parks & Recreation," and in its center contains the Parks Department’s official insignia, a London planetree leaf.
P.S. 164 (Queens Valley) Playground, Flushing, Queens, NY	This playground is located at the southeast corner of 137th Street and 76th Avenue. The rose is of the concrete sunburst style.
Underhill Playground, Flushing, Queens, NY	This playground is on the block bounded by 188th Street, Underhill Avenue, 58th Avenue, and Peck Avenue. The rose is at the base of the flagpole.
Andrews Grove, Long Island City, Queens, NY	This playground is on the south side of 49th Avenue, between 5th Street and Vernon Boulevard. The rose is the same type as the one in the Gutenberg Playground.
Leonardo Ingravallo Playground, Flushing, Queens, NY	This playground is located at the southeast corner of 149th Street and 25th Avenue. The rose is located just to the west of the parkkeeper's building.
Maria Hernandez Park, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY	This park is bounded by Starr Street, Irving Avenue, Suydam Street, and Knickerbocker Avenue. The rose, located in the middle of the park, is large - about 25 feet in diameter - and is marked with the four cardinal directions. Its design consists of a circular brickwork maze, and contains a tiled mosaic of a parrot in its center.
Colden Playground, Flushing, Queens, NY	This playground is located at the northwest corner of Union Street and 31st Drive. The rose is at the base of the flagpole.
Bushwick Playground, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is on the north side of Flushing Avenue, between Humboldt Street and Bushwick Avenue, adjacent to the Bushwick Houses.
John Jay Park, Manhattan, NY	This park is located on the east end of the oddly-shaped block bounded by York Avenue, East 77th Street, Cherokee Place, East 78th Street, the FDR Drive, and East 76th Street. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is located just inside the entrance to the playground portion of the park.
Sutton Place Park, Manhattan, NY	This park is located along the East River, from East 53rd Street to East 57th Street. The rose is located at the base of a sculpture.
Vincent J. DiMattina Playground, Brooklyn, NY	The north portion of this playground is located on the block bounded by Hicks Street, Woodhull Street, Henry Street, and Rapelye Street. The compass rose, which contains the shape of an anchor in its center, is in the middle of the playground.
Vincent J. DiMattina Playground, Brooklyn, NY	The south portion of this playground is located on the east side of Hicks Street, between Rapelye Street and Coles Street. The compass rose is outside the perimeter of the playground, accompanying a memorial to Vincent J. DiMattina.
St. Vartan Park, Manhattan, NY	This park is bounded by East 35th Street, Second Avenue, East 36th Street, and First Avenue. The compass rose, which is located a short distance inside the entrance at the corner of East 35th Street and First Avenue, is the same type as the one in the Gutenberg Playground.
D'Emic Playground, Brooklyn, NY	This playground is located on the east side of 3rd Avenue, between 34th and 35th Streets. The rose - of the concrete sunburst style - is located midway between 34th and 35th Streets, near the 3rd Avenue side, and close to the flagpole.
Intersection of Queens Boulevard and 58th Street, Woodside, Queens, NY	This four-point rose is located on the traffic island between the two westbound lanes of Queens Boulevard, just east of 58th Street. It consists of two concentric circles, the inner one colored red, and the outer one - a narrow ring, actually - colored yellow. The four cardinal directions are marked outside the yellow ring with inlaid brass letters (N, E, S, and W). Within the inner circle, in inlaid brass letters, are "NYC" (reading from west to east) and "58" (reading from south to north). Lastly, in inlaid brass letters along the yellow ring, from south around east to north, reads "THE GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF NYC."
Carroll Park, Brooklyn, NY	This park is located on the west side of Smith Street, between President and Carroll Streets. The rose is neatly incorporated into the design of the water sprinkler, which lies within a large circle. At its center is a low four-sided concrete pylon - each side marked with one of the four cardinal directions. Four similar pylons lie around the circle - each one marked with its respective cardinal direction. On the ground, between the central pylon and each of the outer pylons, is marked the respective cardinal direction with a distance to a particular landmark: North - North Pole, East - Atlantic Ocean; South - South Pole, West - Pacific Ocean.
P.S. 8, 37 Hicks Street, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY	This school is located on the east side of Hicks Street, between Poplar and Middagh Streets. The eight-point rose is metallic, and is embedded in the sidewalk directly in front of the school's main entrance.
Athens Square, Astoria, Queens, NY	Athens Square is located on the northwest corner of 30th Avenue and 30th Street. There is a very attractive 16-point rose in metal near its southeast corner. The four cardinal directions are represented by small reliefs of the Greek gods for the respective winds, along with the name of each - BOREAS (North), AGHLIWTHS (East), NOTOS (South), and ZEFIRWS (West).
Astoria Park, Astoria, Queens, NY	There is a compass rose at one of the many the entrances to this large park - near the intersection of 19th Street and 23rd Terrace.
James J. Walker Park, Manhattan, NY	This park occupies the greater part of the block bounded by Hudson Street, St. Luke's Place, Seventh Avenue South, and Clarkson Street - its western portion. The rose is incorporated into the design of the water sprinkler in its playground, which is located on the north side of the park - that is, on the south side of St. Luke's Place.
Ilse Metzger Hilltop Grove, Kew Gardens, Queens, NY	This small sitting area lies on the east side of the service road of the Grand Central Parkway, at 78th Avenue, and includes a four-point rose in concrete.
Linden Park, Corona, Queens, NY	This park is located on the block bounded by 103rd Street, 41st Avenue, 104th Street, and 42nd Avenue. The eight-point rose - of a floral design in concrete - is in the northeast portion of the park, a short distance south of the parkkeeper's building.
William F. Moore Park, Corona, Queens, NY	This small triangular wedge is bounded by 51st Avenue, 108th Street, and Corona Avenue. The 16-point rose is at the base of the flagpole.
Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Manhattan, NY	This long, narrow space runs from East Houston Street on the north to Canal Street on the south, and from Chrystie Street on the west to Forsyth Street on the east, and is trisected by Delancey Street and Grand Street. This rose is located midway between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets, at around Broome Street.
Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Manhattan, NY	A second rose in this park is located just a short distance inside it, a bit north of Delancey Street, and close to the park's eastern boundary, Forsyth Street.

Here are some sites which seem as if they might have compass roses:

• The American Museum of Natural History
• Central Park (I wouldn't be surprised to find several there.)
• The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (I'm pretty sure that I've seen one there.)
• The Queens Botanic Garden (Ditto.)
• The former New York State Pavilion from the 1964-1965 World's Fair, now Flushing Meadows (Of course there should be one there, since there is a large map of the state on its floor. I'm surprised that there are no directional arrows around the base of the Unisphere fountain, also in Flushing Meadows.)
• One or both of the terminals of the Staten Island Ferry
• The headquarters of the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC
• The United Nations complex
• The base of the large globe in the lobby of the old Daily News Building at 220 East 42nd Street in Manhattan (It certainly looks like it in the first photograph on this page. There's also a picture on this page which seems to confirm that belief. Here's an even better one.)

It seems to me as if the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation has some kind of a program to place compass roses in new and recently refurbished parks and greenspaces, but I have found no mention of such an initiative at its website.

I was able to use its search facility to determine that there are compass roses at these sites:

• at the base of a flagpole in Brighton Playground (Brighton 2nd Street, Brightwater Court, and the Boardwalk) in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn
• in the pavement before the entrance of Knox-Gates Playground (Knox Place, Gates Avenue, and the Mosholu Parkway) in the Bronx - supposedly a large design in red, blue, and gray
• surrounding the spray showers in Harding Park (Underhill Avenue, Gildersleeve Avenue, White Plains Road, and O'Brien Avenue) in the Bronx

Unfortunately, due to their locations none of them is on my immediate must-see list. Maybe eventually.

Searching the archives of the City of New York/Parks & Recreation Daily Plant newsletter and their press release archives turned up these locations with compass roses:

• Playground Ninety Six (XCVI) - Second Avenue between East 96th and East 97th Streets in Manhattan P
• People's Park - East 141st Street, between Brook and St. Ann's Avenues in the Bronx (to come?) P P
• Paddy's Field - in the northeast corner of Van Cortlandt Park near East 239th Street in the Bronx P
• Gilbert Ramirez Park - McKibbin Street, between White and Bogart Streets in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn (Yes - see above.) P P P
• Volunteer Playground - 7th Avenue, between 81st and 82nd Streets in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn P P
• Vidalia Park - East 180th Street, between Vyse and Daly Avenues in the Bronx - the compass rose is goose-shaped P
• Indian Field - East 233rd Street, between Jerome Avenue and Van Cortlandt Park East in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx (to come?) P P
• Fermi Playground - Troutman Street, Wilson Avenue, Starr Street, and Central Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn (Yes - see above.) P
• Highbridge Park - 175th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan P
• Washington Park - East 183rd Street, between Washington and Park Avenues in the Bronx (combined with a sundial?) P
• Harry Chapin Playground - Middagh Street and Columbia Heights in Brooklyn (to come?) P
• The Brooklyn Heights Promenade - Remsen Street to Orange Street in Brooklyn (to come?) P P
• Phillip Mazzei Playground - bounded by Mace Avenue and Williamsbridge Road, and adjacent to P.S. 89 and Williamsbridge Middle School in the Bronx P
• John Mullaly Park - 165th Street and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx P

Check this page for links to historical signs in New York City parks. Drill down by borough to find descriptions of most of the parks in the above lists, as well as those of many more. Those descriptions aren't always complete, but they sometimes indicate the presence of compass roses.

January 2003: There is a fleeting shot, in a Verizon TV ad which has been airing lately, of what appears to be a compass rose at Universal's Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Since I have not been able to confirm this yet through any website, I guess I'll just have to go there and determine it first-hand.

January 26, 2003: I saw what appeared to be a compass rose in a newspaper advertisement for the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Resort in Miami Beach, Florida. It's hard to tell, but it might be barely visible in the artist's rendering of the hotel lobby on this page - just to the right of the check-in desk.

February 26, 2003: During a segment on the news about an event at the Corona Senior Center, I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a compass rose on the floor one of the center's rooms. I'm not sure if the place is the Raices Corona Senior Center at 102-47 43rd Avenue or the Corona Preservation Senior Center at 108-74 Roosevelt Avenue.

January 2, 2005: What appears to be a 16-point compass rose is seen in a photograph from Tokyo Disneyland - in a wedding chapel? - in the October 2002 issue of National Geographic magazine.