ocated in the heart of Manhattan and occupying 843 acres of its area, Central Park is known as the first urban landscaped park in the United States and an outstanding public place in the world which attracts 15+ million visitors annually. 

Central Park’s location was chosen primarily because of the land soil, not good for commercial building. As a matter of fact, New Yorkers organized a contest for the best park design project which was deservedly won by the “Greensward Plan.” Two names will remain forever in the park history of the nation – Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the initiators of the Greensward project and the authors of this grandiose work of art. Their innovative vision and astuteness contributed to the practical design of Central Park: the pathway and circulation system were built in such a way that vehicles and pedestrians can easily move through the park without interfering with each other. Carriages then (and cars today) could unobtrusively cross Central Park due to its sunken transverses. 

The park construction started in 1857-58 and continued for 16 years. It is seen as a monumental effort because by the time it was built, the park had a collection of more than 4 million trees, shrubs and plants, bearing in mind that New York’s largest park at the time was only ten acres. In the beginning, Central Park was visited mainly by upper-class families who would go for a ride in their elegant carriages or enjoy the Saturday concerts. The working class, who lived too far from Central Park to go on foot, lacked both the money for transport and the time for leisure activities during the week. The only day-off for them was Sunday when the park did not host any concerts. It turns out that Central Park was available for the well-off people only, and yet we know that the park is also referred to as “people’s park.” How’s so? Several projects were undertaken for the purpose of making the park open to the larger part of the city population. Among the first campaigns was a change in the week schedule of Central Park, i.e., concerts would take place on Sundays as well. Eventually, the first playground was constructed and visited by children of different classes and backgrounds. 

Today, Central Park is considered a perfect place for recreation with a world-wide reputation. Here visitors can choose among the abundance of leisure activities provided by the numerous playgrounds and tennis courts, tracks for running and cycling, rinks for skating, the swimming pool, picnic areas, and not least important – the outdoor concert programs. They can also enjoy the preserved Central Park scenery (perhaps most beautiful at the six-acre Conservatory Garden, divided into French, English and Italian-style gardens) and the various architectural features, such as the wooded Ramble with its winding pathways, the Egyptian monument and the Bethesda Terrace. 

The latter affords a grand view of the Bethesda Fountain on the Lake [pictured on the left], the central composition of which is the beautiful Angel of the Waters. Around two hundred bridges add to the beauty of Central Park. 
 

Central Park is what we see it today due to the extraordinary efforts of the Central Park Conservancy, a private organization which has taken an exclusive care of the park and has developed a range of activities, plus educational and volunteer programs. 

Central Park Conservancy             Official site of Central Park

The construction of Central Park is considered a monumental effort because by the time it was built, the park had a collection of more than 4 million trees, shrubs and plants, bearing in mind that New York’s largest park at the time was only ten acres!

Image copyright © Steve Garufi

Image copyright © Steve Garufi

Image copyright © Steve Garufi
 

Left-hand side images: 
Sara Cedar Miller, Central Park Conservancy; 
and Dessislava Ivanova, Team Coach