Madison Square is a 6 acre (24,000 mē) public park in the New York City borough of Manhattan, named after James Madison, fourth President of the United States and co-author of the United States Constitution.

The park is bounded by Madison Avenue (which starts at the park's southeast corner), 23rd Street, 26th Street, Fifth Avenue, and a diagonal section of Broadway. Immediately southwest of the park is the Flatiron Building, one of the oldest of the original New York skyscrapers, and just to its east is the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower at 1 Madison Avenue (1909), the tallest building in the world until 1913, when the Woolworth Building was completed.

On May 10, 1847, Madison Square Park opened to the public. Its borders consisted of Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, 23rd Street and 26th Street. In 1853, plans were made to build the Crystal Palace here, but strong public opposition and protests caused the palace to be relocated to Bryant Park.

Large celebrations have been at home in Madison Square. In 1876 a large celebration was held to celebrate the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. From 1876 to 1882, the torch and the arm of the Statue of Liberty were exhibited in the park in an effort to raise funds for the building of the base of the statue.


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