Gothamist shares the story of how in the 1930s, Robert Moses designed one of the most iconic NYC Parks Department benches, which you can still find around the city today. The Moses bench, which is called the World's Fair Bench, can easily be spotted by its green color, a touch of Victorian style, and round armrests. The Central Park Conservancy says that the Moses benches "are primarily used in more formal (as opposed to naturalistic) landscapes, such as the Great Lawn oval and some Park entrances."
In Central Park, there are four main types of benches: the Central Park settee, the World’s Fair, wood-and-concrete, and rustic benches.
There are also a few commemorative and sculptural benches, like the Andrew Haswell Green bench near the Fort Fish site in the northern end of the Park, and the Charles B. Stover Bench in Shakespeare Garden. The one is Shakespeare Garden also goes by the name "the Whisper Bench," and just like the Whisper Wall in Grand Central, you can whisper into one end, and the sound travels to the other end.
To read the article in its entirety, as well as to learn more and see pictures of the Central Park benches, click here.