CITY CENTRAL PARK (NEWYORK)

INTRODUCTION

• Central Park, largest and most important public park in Manhattan, New York
City.
• It occupies an area of 840 acres (340 hectares) and extends between 59th and
110th streets (about 2.5 miles [4 km]) and between Fifth and Eighth avenues
(about 0.5 miles [0.8 km]).
• It was one of the first American parks to be developed
using landscape architecture techniques.
• The completed Central Park officially opened in 1876, and it is still one of the
greatest achievements in artificial landscaping.
• The park’s terrain and vegetation are highly varied and range from flat grassy
swards, gentle slopes, and shady glens to steep, rocky ravines.
• The park affords interesting vistas and walks at nearly every point.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art is in the park, facing Fifth Avenue.
• There are also a zoo, an ice-skating rink, three small lakes, an open-air theatre, a
band shell, many athletic playing fields and children’s playgrounds, several
fountains, and hundreds of small monuments and plaques scattered through the
area.
• There are also a police station, several blockhouses dating from the early 19th
century, and “Cleopatra’s Needle” (an ancient Egyptian obelisk).
• The park has numerous footpaths and bicycle paths, and several
roadways traverse it.
 PLANNING

• Olmsted and vaux designed central park to incorporate a variety

of landscapes and experiences.
• The plan eschewed symmetry, instead opting for a more
picturesque design comprising sweeping lawns, woodlands,
meandering streams, and broad lakes — all connected by a
series of winding paths, a carriage drive, and a bridle path.
however, constructing the park wasn’t an easy task.
• It’s estimated that more gunpowder was used to clear the area
than was used at the battle of gettysburg during the american
civil war, with around five million cubic feet (140,000 cubic
meters) of soil and rocks transported out of the park.
• In december 1858, the lake in the park’s southwestern section
was the first feature to open to the public, followed by the
ramble — a lush geographic feature — six months later.
• The section south of 79th street was mostly completed by 1860,
just a year before the american civil war began.
 TERRACE AND BRIDGE
• The commissioners decided to continue work on the park, and soon
completed the bethesda terrace — a location that remains one of
the park’s most iconic and well-known features.
• Located in the heart of the park, the terrace is found at the north
end of the long, tree-lined promenade known as the mall and
overlooks both ‘the ramble’ and the lake.
• Between 1859 and 1866, a total of 27 arches and bridges were
built in central park. all were designed by calvert vaux — in some
cases with the assistance of fellow architect jacob wrey mould.
• Each one is unique, designed with various materials and
decorative motifs, and with careful consideration of its placement
in the landscape.
• Known today as ‘gothic bridge’, bridge no. 28 is the most well-
known of three ornate cast-iron bridges that carry pedestrians over
the bridle path to the reservoir running track.
• The bridges ensure that conflicting forms of traffic are kept
separate, allowing visitors to experience the park’s landscapes in a
variety of ways.
CASTLE

• Another of the park’s landmarks architectural features is belvedere

castle, which was completed in 1872.
• Designed by vaux and mould, the miniature castle is located atop the
huge rock outcrop known as vista rock — the second highest natural
point in central park.
• Originally intended as an open-air lookout tower, the entire complex was
designed as a place from which to enjoy views of the surrounding
landscape.
• In 1919, the U.S. weather bureau converted the building into a weather
station, adding windows and doors, and creating offices inside the
structure. although the bureau moved out of the building in the 1960s,
temperature, wind, and rainfall are still measured at the belvedere,
though primarily now from equipment housed in a fenced-in area just
south of the building.
• Today the castle houses one of the park’s visitor centers and a gift shop.
• Over time, more features were added to the park, including baseball
and soccer fields, a carousel, two skating rinks, a zoo, formal
gardens, commemorative monuments, and concert and theater
venues.
• In addition to diverse recreational experiences, central park provides
great ecological and environmental benefits to the city.
• Its more than 18,000 trees cool and clean the air and its vast acreage
in the center of the city provides habitat for wildlife, including as a
stopover on the atlantic flyway for over 200 species of birds.
• Two grand staircases frame the scene from beyond the fountain and
connect both levels of the terrace.
• The arcade boasts the only ceiling in the world that features Minton
tiles, and it has undergone serious restoration to preserve its unique
design.
• The terrace is also notable for being the final destination at the end of
the Mall (or Literary Walk).
 CENTRAL PARK ZOO

• The Central Park Zoo is an extension of what was originally the menagerie—
the first public zoo in New York.
• The menagerie was not part of the original Greensward Plan, but the idea for
its design became more popular as New Yorkers slowly became interested in
wildlife and donated animals to the park.
• The Central Park Zoo is now part of five facilities operated by the Wildlife
Conservation Society.

BOAT HOUSE

• The Loeb Boathouse is a long-standing boat landing on the lake that now
includes a formal dining room, outside dining areas, and a concession stand.
• It was originally proposed by Olmsted and Vaux in order to store rowboats.
• This original Victorian style boathouse was destroyed by 1950 and was
replaced four years later with the structure that currently stands in its place.
 SHEEP MEADOW
• This 15-acre field was included in the original Greensward Plan as a “parade ground” for
marches and similar events, though Olmsted and Vaux did not want anyone using it for this
purpose as they thought the serene area should be unmarred by military events.
• They eventually did get their wish when the park commissioners disregarded this previously
mandatory design requirement and allowed the area to instead become a pasture.
• Real sheep enjoyed Sheep Meadow from 1864 to 1934 until the city park commissioner
Robert Moses removed them.

WOLLMAN RINK
• The Wollman Ice Rink is at the southeast corner of Central Park.
• It was first built in 1949 when a portion of the lake was drained to make room for skating.
• Visitors can now glide on the rink all year round with ice skating in the winter and in-line
skating in the summer.

LITERARY WALK
• The Mall, or Literary Walk, is the only deliberate straight line in the park’s design. It is also
the central “formal promenade” and was designed aligned with the designer’s “park for the
people” mission.
• It was meant to prove that people of all different backgrounds could coexist in one public
space.