Central Park New York

Central Park is a public park in the centre

of Manhattan in New York City.
In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and
Calvert Vaux won a design competition
to improve and expand the park with a
plan they entitled the Greensward
Plan. Construction began the same

Urban Landscape-New York City

year and was completed in 1873
NEED FOR THE PARK:
As the city expanded, people were
drawn to the few existing open spaces,
mainly cemeteries, to get away from
the noise and chaotic life in the city.
New York City's need for a great public
park was voiced by 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, similar to the Bois
de Boulogne in Paris or London's Hyde
Park, was felt to be needed by many 11
influential New Yorker.
 Central Park New York
The purpose was to refute the European view that Americans lacked a sense of civic duty
and appreciation for cultural refinement and instead possessed an unhealthy and
individualistic materialism that precluded interest in the common good
The bruised egos of New York high society envisioned a sweeping pastoral landscape,
among which the wealthy could parade in their carriages, socialize, and "be seen," and in
which the poor could benefit from clean air and uplifting recreation without lifting the
bottle.

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AREA:
It was opened on 770 acres (3.1 km2) of city-owned land and was expanded to 843 acres (3.41
km2; 1.317 sq. mi). It is 2.5 miles (4 km) long between 59th Street (Central Park South) and
110th Street (Central Park North), and is 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide between Fifth Avenue and
Central Park West

MAINTENANCE:
The park is currently managed by the Central Park Conservancy under contract with the city
government. The Conservancy is a non profit organization that contributes 85% of Central
Park's $25 million dollar annual budget, and employs 80% of the park's maintenance staff.

LOCATION:
Central Park is situated in Manhattan between 59th and 110th street and between Fifth and
Eight Ave. 12

Dhiksha, Lakshmi Tejaswi

Central Park New York
TIMELINE AND EVENTS
1856-
commissioners appointed EGBERT l. VIELE AS CHIEF Engineer for Central Park(he was interested
in the park since 1853)
Surveyed the land and prepared a design for development as a speculation hoping that he
would be adopted.
1857-
Fredrick Law Olmsted was appointed as the superintendent of the park under Viele.

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A competition for the layout of the park was announced by the commissioners.
Olmsted joined with the architect Calvert Vaux in preparing a plan for the site of 770 acres.(2
miles long and mile wide)
Olmsted had studied agriculture and practised farming and was acquainted with many
landscapes both natural and manmade ones.
Vaux had utilised Downings beautiful style and the two brought forwards greensward design
evolved to meet the site conditions.
Conditions set by the commission
Four or more crossings running in the east west direction
A parade ground of up2 40 acres.
3 play grounds of up to 10 acres each.
Site for an exhibition hall
A large fountain to be placed.
A prospects tower to be added
Provision for a skating ground
A 3 acre flower garden.
1858- 13
Olmsted was made the chief architect to the commissioners.
Work on the park started in the summer.
Dhiksha, Lakshmi Tejaswi
Central Park New York
The Vision
Chosen by the city and the park planners because its terrain was unsuitable for commercial
building, the site for the new park offered rocky vistas, swamps which would be converted
into lakes, and the old city reservoir.
These varied elements would be refined, enhanced, diminished, and eradicated to create a
park in the style of European public grounds, with an uncorrupted countryside appearance.
To this end, Olmsted and Vaux's plan included four transverse roads to carry crosstown

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traffic below the park level. Architectural structures were to be kept to a minimum--only
four buildings existed in the original plans for the park--and the design and building
material of the bridges were chosen to assure that they were integrated as naturally as
possible into their surrounding landscapes.

Building Central Park

Thousands of Irish, German, and New England-area labourers toiled ten-hour days under
the direction of architect-in-chief and head foreman Olmsted for between a dollar and a
dollar fifty per day.
In the winter of 1858, the park's first area was opened to the public; December of that
same year saw New Yorkers skating on the twenty-acre lake south of the Ramble.
The final stages of the park's construction began in 1863, with the landscaping and building
of the newly acquired area from 106th to 110th Streets.
Due to budget constraints and the tight financial control that Andrew Green, the new
comptroller, exercised, the area was less laboriously and meticulously designed, giving it a 14
more untamed appearance.
Dhiksha, Lakshmi Tejaswi
Central Park New York
Transverse Roads
Even though Central Park was planned and executed
before the development of the automobile, the
architects of the park realized that there would be a
need for commercial traffic between the both sides of
the park, but did not want that traffic interrupting the
bucolic experience of park patrons.

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One of the most innovative features of the original
design of Central Park are the four subterranean.
Transverse Roads that carry traffic across the park
unimpeded between the East and West sides of the
park.
These Transverse Roads at 65th, 79th, 86th and 97th
streets are dark, dirty and often crowded, carrying
their filthy .

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Dhiksha, Lakshmi Tej

Central Park New York
Few of the Park Attractions and landmarks
Listed from North to South:

A North Central Park - above 97th St.

Harlem Meer - 11 Acre Lake Area featuring 2

Playgrounds

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Charles A. Dana Discovery Center - Visitor
center featuring environmental exhibits and
programs. North side of the Meer.
Lasker Rink and Pool - public swimming pool
. In its ice skating mode (Thanksgiving -
March), Lasker has two oval rinks: one for
high school hockey teams and one for all
ages. Less used than Woolman Rink.
Conservatory Garden - The six-acre
Conservatory Garden is Central Park's only
formal garden is a colorful and quite retreat
from the surrounding city. The Italian garden North Meadow and Recreation Center-
is the site of many wedding photography Indoor and outdoor recreational facility indoor
sessions. Enter through the Vanderbuilt gate climbing wall 12 fields for baseball, softball,
on 5th Ave at 102nd. Admission is free. and soccer. 16
(8AM - Dusk)
Dhiksha, Lakshmi Tejaswi
 Central Park New York

B Mid Central Park - below 97th St. above

79th St.

Central Park Tennis Center - 26 clay and four

asphalt courts
Reservoir- a 106-acre water feature with a 1.5

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mile running track surrounding it. 3
pedestrian cast-iron bridges crossing a Bridle
Path.
Great Lawn Park -8 softball fields, soccer,
basketball, and volleyball.
Metropolitan Museum of Art - World-famous
masterpieces.
Delacorte Theatre- open-air theatre is the
summer home of the Public Theatre/New
York Shakespeare Festival.
Belvedere Castle - designed by Frederick Law
Olmsted a miniature Gothic castle - that offers
an elaborate scenic overlook. The Castle is
home to the Henry Luce Nature Observatory.
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Central Park New York
C South Central Park - below 79th St.
The Ramble - 37 acre wooded area - Great
Location for Birdwatching.
Conservatory Water - Model Boat racing on
Saturdays -Near by West is a Statue of Hans
Christian Anderson, to the North a bronze
grouping of Characters from Alice's

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Adventures in Wonderland.
Loeb Boathouse - Boat rides - Venetian
gondolas and bike rentals
Bow Bridge cast iron bridges spans sixty feet
across the Lake, linking Cherry Hill with the
Ramble - choice of many photographers
Bethesda Fountain and Terrace - Considered
to be the Heart of Central Park. It is located
between the Lake and the Mall. The Spanish
style terrace is a great place to relax.
"Strawberry Fields", the memorial to late
Beatle, John Lennon. Located on the south
side of the park this 2.5-acre tear-drop-shaped
landscape features a reproduction of a mosaic
from Pompeii - a gift from Naples, Italy with a 18
single word IMAGINE.
Dhiksha, Lakshmi Tejaswi
Central Park New York

Tavern on the Green Landmark Restaurant.

The Dairy Victorian Gothic Building which is

the home of the visitors center. It is a good
place to get the latest info on current park
events. Nearby to the west is the Carousel

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featuring 58 hand carved horses. To the east
visit the popular "Balto" Statue (Heroic Dog).

Central Park Zoo - Oasis of wildlife

Wollman Skating Rink is located between

the Dairy to the north and the Pond.

Carriage Rides- is located at Central Park

South (59th Street) between Fifth and Sixth
Avenues

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 Urban Landscape-New York City
Thank you

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Dhiksha, Lakshmi Tejaswi