This is my own nosy neighbor question: was coming through the park at night and missed the gas lamps that I *thought* were usually on in the park. (I also missed the evergreen display that used to fill the fountain in winter.) Clearly my memory does not serve, since this is what I learned from Skip Blumberg, who runs the Friends of City Hall Park:

“The central gas lamps are part of Giuliani’s botched $38 million 1999 CHP renovations,” he wrote. “The lamps were poorly designed, at first kept on even in the daylight — super poor modeling in our civic center — because it was too expensive to turn off after hours and during the day and then relight every evening. They blew out frequently in light winds and releasing pungent gas into the air, requiring unavailable maintenance.

“So, after a few years of mishaps, the gas lamps have been kept off, with FCHP encouragement.”

Skip said that Community Board 1 recommended replacing the lamps with LEDs several years ago (hmm, seems like a bummer, but maybe the most expedient solution) and are in line among other capital requests. The Parks Department said repairing them will require a capital project with funding from local the elected officials.

“The solution for this, all of CHP’s and all NYC parks’ shortcomings, is for Mayor Adams to be a hero for all parkgoers by fulfilling his campaign promise to adequately fund the Department of Parks and Recreation for both capital improvements and operations,” he added.

Sigh.