Links:

Central Park Home Page  |  Central Park Runners Map  |   Central Park Concerts

  ^ back to top

Central Park Attractions

Central Park is New York City's backyard, 843 acres of green that comprises 6% of the island of Manhattan. 25 million people visit Central Park every year and enjoy the park's many famous attractions and sights.

1) The Great Lawn
The Great Lawn is 13 acres of green grass with baseball fields, basketball courts, and lots of room for sports and leisure activities. The Great Lawn is also the site of free concerts every summer by the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, and has also hosted concerts, movie screenings, and a papal mass.
Mid-Park from 79th to 86th St.

2) The Wildlife Center and Children's Zoo
See the zoo (or wildlife center) that the movie Madagascar made famous. The movie took some creative license (sorry, no lions or hippos or giraffes). However, the Central Park Wildlife Center has plenty to see -- sea lions, monkeys, penguins, polar bears, and more. A special children's zoo lets kids get close to goats, sheep, cows, and a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.
East Side between 63rd St. and 66th St.


3) Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields was designed as a garden of peace in honor of John Lennon (1940-1980). When Lennon lived in the nearby Dakota apartment building, this was his favorite oasis in Central Park. A black-and-white mosaic with the word "Imagine" now marks the entrance to Strawberry Fields. Fans leave flowers, poems, and other tributes in remembrance of Lennon.
West Side between 71st and 74th St.

4) The Reservoir
The Reservoir (officially named the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir since 1994) is best know for the 1.58 mile track surrounding it. Thousands of runners get their exercise here daily. Spring runs are particularly scenic thanks to the ornamental cherry trees that bloom along the track.
85th St. to 96th St., from east to west

5) Belvedere Castle
This 19th-century stone castle rises above Vista Rock, the second highest natural elevation in the Park. From the castle's tower, you'll find breathtaking views of Central Park and the city. The castle also houses the Henry Luce Nature Observatory, which features exhibits on the birds and other wildlife found in the Park.
Mid-Park at 79th St.

6) Sheep Meadow
Sheep Meadow is a lush, green meadow with a great skyline view. It's perfect for sunbathing, picnicking, or just taking a break from the city. Herds of sheep grazed in this section of the park from 1864 until 1934. The shepherd lived in a nearby building that is now the famous Tavern on the Green restaurant.
West Side from 66th to 69th St.

7) Bethesda Terrace
Bethesda Terrace was designed to be the heart of Central Park. The ornate terrace features the famous fountain and views of the Lake, the lawn, and the Ramble.
Mid-Park at 72nd St.

8) Shakespeare Garden
Shakespeare Garden is a beautiful little oasis of flowers. Sit on the rustic benches or under the mulberry tree and admire climbing roses, daffodils, violets, tulips, and other blooms. Only flowers mentioned in Shakespeare's plays or poetry are planted here.
West Side between 79th and 80th St.

9) Mother Goose Statue
The sculpture of Mother Goose is a favorite of kids and adults alike. It features Mother Goose flying astride her goose and flanked by Humpty Dumpty, Little Jack Horner, and Little Bo Peep.
East 71st St. near Rumsey Playfield

10) Loeb Boathouse
At the boathouse at the eastern end of the Lake, you can rent rowboats and bicycles or take a ride in a romantic gondola. You can also dine on a deck overlooking the Lake or grab a snack on the terrace.
East Side between 74th and 75th St.

   ^ back to top

History Of Central Park

Early history
Between 1820 and 1850, New York City nearly quadrupled in population. As the city expanded, people were drawn to the few open spaces, mainly cemeteries, to get away from the noise and chaotic life in the city. Before long, however, New York City's need for a great public park was voiced by the poet and editor of the then-Evening Post (now the New York Post), William Cullen Bryant, and by the first American landscape architect, Andrew Jackson Downing, who began to publicize the city's need for a public park in 1844. A stylish place for open-air driving, like the Bois de Boulogne in Paris or London's Hyde Park, felt needed by many influential New Yorkers, and in 1853 the New York legislature designated a 700 acre (2.8 km²) area from 59th to 106th Streets for the creation of the park, to a cost of more than US$5 million for the land alone.

The park was not part of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811.


Initial development


A map of Manhattan circa 1850. (click image to enlarge)

The State appointed a Central Park Commission to oversee the development of the park, and in 1857 the commission held a landscape design contest. Writer Frederick Law Olmsted and English architect Calvert Vaux developed the so-called "Greensward Plan", which was selected as the winning design. According to Olmsted, the park was "of great importance as the first real Park made in this century—a democratic development of the highest significance…", a view probably inspired by his stay, and various trips in Europe in 1850.[1] During that trip he visited several parks, and was in particular impressed by Birkenhead Park near Liverpool, England, which opened in 1847 as the first publicly funded park in the world.

Several influences came together in the design. Landscaped cemeteries, such as Mount Auburn (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and Green-Wood (Brooklyn, New York) had set an example of idyllic, naturalistic landscapes. The most influential innovations in the Central Park design, were the "separate circulation systems" for pedestrians, horseback riders, and pleasure vehicles. The "crosstown" commercial traffic was entirely concealed in sunken roadways screened with densely planted shrub belts, so as not to disturb the impression of a rustic scene. The Greensward plan called for some 36 bridges, all designed by Vaux, ranging from rugged spans of Manhattan schist or granite, to lacy neo-gothic cast iron, no two alike. The ensemble of the formal line of the Mall's doubled allées of elms culminating at Bethesda Terrace, with a composed view beyond of lake and woodland was at the heart of the larger design.

Before the construction of the park could start, the area had to be cleared of its inhabitants, most of whom were quite poor and either free African-Americans or immigrants of either German or Irish origin. Most of them lived in smaller villages, such as Seneca Village, Harsenville, the Piggery District or the Convent of the Sisters of Charity. The roughly 1,600 working-class residents occupying the area at the time were evicted under the rule of eminent domain during 1857, and Seneca Village and parts of the other communities were torn down and removed in order to make room for the park. Joe Pepitone's great-grandfather was the person most responsible for the forced evictions and demolition of existing structures in the area.

Around 1860, it became apparent that Olmsted, although a great designer, was an incompetent manager. He had little or no oversight of the Park's expenditures, and due to his management there were lengthy delays in construction. He nevertheless refused to voluntarily step down as manager, thus basically forcing the Park Commissioners to put another person in charge of the project instead. Andrew Haswell Green, the former president of New York City's Board of Education took over as the chairman of the commission. Despite the fact that he had relatively little experience, he still managed to accelerate the construction, as well as to finalize the negotiations for the purchase of an additional 65 acres (26 ha) at the north end of the park between 106th and 110th Streets, which would be used as the 'rugged' part of the park.

Between 1860 and 1873, the construction of the park had come a long way, and most of the major hurdles had been overcome. During this period, more than 500,000 cubic feet (14,000 m³) of topsoil had been transported in from New Jersey, as the original soil wasn't good enough to sustain the various trees, shrubs and the plants the Greensward Plan called for. When the park was officially completed in 1873, more than ten million cartloads of material, including soil and rocks which were to be removed from the area had been manually dug up, and transported out of the park. Also included were the more than four million trees, shrubs and plants representing the approximately 1,500 species which were to lay the foundation for today's park.


20th century


Belvedere Castle

Following the completion of the park, it quickly slipped into decline. One of the major reasons for this was the infamous New York political machine known as Tammany Hall, then the largest political force in New York.

Around the turn of the century, the park faced several new challenges. Cars had been invented and were becoming commonplace, bringing with them their burden of pollution. Also, the general mental view of the people was beginning to change. No longer were parks to be used only for walks and picnics in an idyllic environment, but now also for sports, and similar recreation. Following the dissolution of the Central Park Commission in 1870 and Andrew Green's departure from the project and the death of Vaux in 1895, the maintenance effort gradually declined, and there were few or no attempts to replace dead trees, bushes and plants or worn-out lawn. For several decades, authorities did little or nothing to prevent vandalism and the littering of the park.

All of this changed in 1934, when Fiorello LaGuardia was elected mayor of New York City and unified the five park-related departments then in existence, and gave Robert Moses the job of cleaning up. Moses, then about to become one of the mightiest men in New York City, took over what was essentially a relic, a leftover from a bygone era.

According to historian Robert Caro in his 1974 book The Power Broker,

Lawns, unseeded, were expanses of bare earth, decorated with scraggly patches of grass and weeds, that became dust holes in dry weather and mud holes in wet…. The once beautiful Mall looked like a scene of a wild party the morning after. Benches lay on their backs, their legs jabbing at the sky….

In a single year, Moses managed to clean up not only Central Park, but also other parks in New York City; lawns and flowers were replanted, dead trees and bushes replaced, walls were sandblasted and bridges repaired. Major redesigning and construction was also carried out; for instance, the existing Croton Reservoir was filled-in so the Great Lawn could be created. The Greensward Plan's intention of creating an idyllic landscape was combined with Moses' vision of a park to be used for recreational purposes—nineteen playgrounds, twelve ballfields, and handball courts were constructed. Moses also managed to secure funds from the New Deal program, as well as donations from the public, thus ensuring that the park got a new lease of life, prospering under the wings of a powerful and new defender.


1960–1980
When Robert Moses stepped down as Park Commissioner in 1960, nobody could replace him and the power and influence he had. During his twenty-six years as a commissioner, he had not only maintained the parks in New York City, but he had also started numerous other projects. When he left, the park gradually began to deteriorate, due to vandalism, littering and graffiti, and varied events scheduled to take place in the park. New Year's Eve celebrations, summer concerts, peace rallies and protest marches, and numerous other arrangements during the sixties resulted in a park similar to what it looked like before Moses took over. The number of crimes committed in the park increased, the funding decreased, and the park looked like it was out of control until the Central Park Conservancy was founded in 1980.

Despite outward appearances, there were several positive aspects of this twenty-year period. The Public Theater introduced its annual Shakespeare in the Park in 1962, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera initiated their annual summer concerts on the Great Lawn.

By 1975 several advocacy groups joined forces to come up with new ideas for how to take care of the park. In order to gain influence over the direct care of the Park, they approached New York City mayor Edward Koch, and Gordon Davis, the then-park commissioner. Under their leadership, the Central Park Conservancy was founded in 1980, led by chairman Bill Beinecke and Central Park Administrator Betsy Barlow Rogers.


1980–present
When the Central Park Conservancy started, the founders did not want to create a new organization, with formally employed caretakers as this would also mean higher operating costs. Instead, they decided to focus on attracting volunteers for most of the work, as this also would facilitate a campaign to make the people of New York more aware of the park, as well as trying to create a feeling that the park was a major part of the identity of New York.

The conservancy cooperated with the Park Commissioner, and took over all responsibility for the restoration and maintenance of the park, publishing a 1981 paper called "Rebuilding Central Park for the 1980s and Beyond". The document was devised as an early master plan for the continued development of the park and described the actions needed to restore the park to its former glory.

The paper described three key tasks deemed essential for the park's future survival. The architectural heritage had to be restored—not only the landscape and environment, but also the bridges, buildings and other structures that had fallen victim to twenty years of neglect. In addition to this, the paper also called for an extensive reseeding of grass and constant care for every area of the park, as well as programs that would increase the security around the park—especially at night—and thus attract more visitors.

Over the years, many structures have been restored, and numerous hours have been spent restoring the park. In 2004 alone, volunteers spent more than 32,000 hours working in the park, restoring (amongst others) the Heckscher playground, a thirty-acre area including a building, several meadows, and rock outcroppings.

In addition, the privately-funded construction of the Diana Ross Playground in 1986 demonstrated how non-governmental entities could work to improve the face of the park.