The story behind the Wall Street Bull
Bowling Green is North America's oldest park. It is located on Manhattan in the Financial District. It was used initially as a cattle market. It gets its name because the first Dutch settlers used it for lawn bowling. The park is a pleasant place with a small patch of green, benches, flowers and a round fountain. You can sit, have a sandwich and rest your feet. At Bowling Green Park you'll see a massive bronze statue of a bull.
The bronze bull that stands in Bowling Green Park poised to charge up Broadway first appeared in front of the New York Stock Exchange on December 15, 1989. It was created by Italian-born Soho artist, Arturo Di Modica, who deposited the 7,000-pound bull in front of the New York Stock Exchange in the middle of the night without permission. The next morning Financial District workers were confronted by a sleek, 18-foot-long bronze bull, head down and nostrils flaring. In a flyer distributed that day, the artist stated that the stock market crash of 1987 was his inspiration. He created the bull as a symbol of "strength, power and hope of the American people for the future."
However, the New York Police Department was not pleased. NYPD said it obstructed traffic and had no permit. The New York Stock Exchange hired a truck to have it hauled away that afternoon. It was penned in a police impound lot. Not an easy undertaking.
Even though the bull had been seen for less than 8 hours, the public wanted it! After a few days in its "pen", New York City Parks Department Commissioner Henry J. Stern arranged for the Bull to be given a temporary stomping ground at the north end of Bowling Green Park which is on Wall Street. It remains there today as an icon embodying the bullish strength and determination of Wall Street.
In 2003 the artist tried to get the city to pay $300,000 for the huge bull. They refused. A Las Vegas hotel decided they'd buy it. Henry Stern, who was no longer a Parks Commissioner, led the campaign to keep it in New York. It is still there - as a "gift" from the artist.
Today the "Charging Bull" is an accepted NYC landmark and is a favorite stop for tourists. Those seeking to make their fortune in the stock market will rub the bull for luck. This bull has several names: Bowling Green Bull, Charging Bull, Good Luck Bull, Wall Street Bull, NYC Bull, New York Bull, NYSE Bull, Stock Exchange Bull. Some even call it the Merrill Lynch Bull. You don’t need to be a Wall Streeter to love this bull. You can just love bulls. You might be in a squadron or on a team that uses a bull as its mascot since the bull communicates strength. You really don’t need a reason to enjoy this great bull. You will find a replica of this Wall Street bull in many variations at WallStreetGifts.com.