Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
City Delays Moving Charging Bull
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Nov 13, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Charline Charles / Gothamist
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Nov 13, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Less than a week after confirming reports that Charging Bull, the iconic sculpture in Lower Manhattan, would be relocated, the de Blasio administration was forced to delay its plans.
The New York Post reported on Wednesday that the city’s Department of Transportation withdrew its application from the Public Design Commission, which must sign off on the move. The bronze work has stood on a triangular strip along Broadway in front of Bowling Green for 30 years, but city officials had been working on a plan to put it near the New York Stock Exchange.
Jane Meyer, a spokesperson for the de Blasio, said city officials withdrew the application because they were unable to decide on an exact location for the bull. She said they hoped to resubmit the application for next month's meeting of the Public Design Commission.
"Nothing changed," she said. "We are moving the Bull."
The artist who created and gifted the bull to the city, Arturo Di Modica, has been opposed to the move. On Sunday, he issued a statement through a spokesperson, saying, "In the last 30 years Bowling Green was and is the perfect home for Charging Bull and I am not approving Charging Bull being moved and least of all to the New York Stock Exchange."
Last month, a representative from the mayor's office emailed Di Modica, saying she was "reaching out to coordinate the relocating of the Charging Bull sculpture to a more secure location in the Financial District."
The City Hall official said that the current location, which is often mobbed with tourists posing for photos with the bull, is vulnerable to vehicular attacks. The concerns were prompted by a 2017 terrorist truck attack along the West Side highway.
But Arthur Piccolo, the chairman of the Bowling Green Association who serves as spokesperson for Di Modica, denied that the area was unsafe and argued that the city had no right to move it.
In 2017, another statue, Fearless Girl, was moved from its original location opposite Charging Bull to an area near the stock exchange due to safety concerns from the large crowds of spectators. At the time, a city official said that Charging Bull would also eventually be moved closer to the stock exchange.
Meyer said the reason for moving Charging Bull was the same as for Fearless Girl.
"It's not safe to have that many people milling about in an area around so many cars," she said.
UPDATE: The headline and story have been updated to reflect the comments of the mayor's spokesperson.
Tagged
public art
de Blasio
charging bull
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Feds confirms recent death of Delaney Hall detainee released shortly after intake
The Trump administration previously did not publicly disclose news of Jose Chajon-Raxon’s death.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Aug 13, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. ET
First NYPD officer convicted under city’s ban on police chokeholds
Omar Habib was the first NYPD officer prosecuted under a city law that banned chokeholds.
By
Samantha Max
News
First NYPD officer convicted under city’s ban on police chokeholds
Omar Habib was the first NYPD officer prosecuted under a city law that banned chokeholds.
By
Samantha Max
Mamdani makes childcare free for 22K NYC families
By
Karen Yi
Mother sues NYC, saying ACS harassed her family with false abuse reports
By
Samantha Max
AOC freezes her eggs, mixing her personal life with politics
By
Brigid Bergin
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .