The grand entryway to Prospect Park, where Flatbush Ave meets the beginning of Eastern Pkwy, is a ceremonial arch created by visionary designer Calvert Vaux. Today part of a traffic circle, it's slightly removed from the park but the 1890s-built arch, formally known as the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, is a photogenic memorial to Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
The Quadriga (1898), the massive sculpture that rests on top of the archway, depicts Lady Columbia (an anthropomorphized representation of the US) accompanied by two winged figures of Victory. On the north end is a small bust of John F Kennedy, the city’s only official monument to the late President.
A Greenmarket is held here on Saturdays year-round, and food trucks can frequently be found here as well.
