Rainey Memorial Gates

Rainey Memorial Gates
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark  No. 0108
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Location	Bronx Zoo, Bronx, New York
Coordinates	40°51′18″N73°52′40″W / 40.85500°N 73.87778°W / 40.85500; -73.87778
Area	less than one acre
Built	1934
Architect	Manship, Paul
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP reference No.	72000823 [1]
NYCL No.	0108
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	March 16, 1972
Designated NYCL	January 11, 1967

Rainey Memorial Gates is a historic entrance gate located at the north side of the Bronx Zoo, within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City.

It is a New York City designated landmark and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

History

It was built in 1934 and constructed of sculpted bronze in the Art Deco style. It was designed by noted sculptor Paul Manship (1885–1966), who worked on them starting in 1926. ^[4] It was commissioned by Grace Rainey Rogers, as a memorial to her brother, noted big game hunter Paul James Rainey (1877–1923). ^[5] The gates feature stylized animal and plant life including the figure of a seated lion. Low bronze screens flank the gate and connect it to the granite gatekeepers lodges.

Photographs of the gates from 2018 by Carol M. Highsmith are part of the files at the Library of Congress. ^{[6] [7]}

See also

• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in The Bronx
• National Register of Historic Places in Bronx County, New York

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. Scheier, Joan (2006). New York City Zoos and Aquarium. Arcadia Publishing. p. 25. ISBN   978-0-7385-3942-3.
3. Stephen S. Lash (May 1971). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Rainey Memorial Gates. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 24, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
4. "Detail of Paul J. Rainey Memorial Gateway". Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). Retrieved January 31, 2025.
5. "Memorial Gates Accepted by Zoo; Donor of Gift in Honor of Paul J. Rainey Attends Exercises in Bronx. Old Pets Done In Bronze Collection of Carved Figures of 'Celebrities' in Cages Is Hailed by Dr. Blair". The New York Times . June 15, 1934. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 31, 2025.
6. "The 1934 sculpted bronze Rainey Gates, designed by Paul Manship, at the Bronx Zoo in The Bronx, one of five county-level divisions within sprawling New York, New York". Library of Congress. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
7. Highsmith, Carol M. (January 1, 2018), Detail of the 1934 sculpted bronze Rainey Gates, designed by Paul Manship, at the Bronx Zoo in The Bronx, one of five county-level divisions within sprawling New York, New York , retrieved January 31, 2025