Venue Information

Overlooking the Lake and the Loeb Boathouse, Bethesda Terrace stands at the end of the long, tree-lined promenade known as the Mall. Grand staircases descend into the subterranean Arcade, which offers a welcome respite from rain and heat, with a view of the spectacular Minton tile ceiling. In addition to the landmark Bethesda Fountain at its center, Bethesda Terrace offers a stunning vista across the Lake to the edge of the Ramble. Rowboats launch from the Loeb Boathouse on an opposite bank. The view has barely strayed from Olmsted and Vaux’s original plan for the Park in the 1850s. They described Bethesda Terrace as an “open air hall of reception,” a structure subordinate to the landscape: "Nature first, second, and third—architecture after a while."