Arguably one of the most famous parks in the world, Central Park is a manmade wonder. Not only is it the first public park built in America, but it is also one of the most frequently visited, with over 25 million guests per year. Set in the middle of bustling Manhattan, its grounds serve as a safe haven, not only for athletes, daydreamers, musicians, and strollers, but also for teems of migratory birds each year.
One can spend an entire peaceful day roaming its grounds, gazing upon nearly 50 fountains, monuments, and sculptures or admiring its 36 bridges and arches. Although Central Park has 21 official playgrounds, we like to think of it as one gigantic jungle gym in its peak season. View more events. A castle on the horizon! Frederick Law Olmsted, plan, larger image available. Reformers and politicians also soon realized that the plan had not sufficiently taken account of the need for recreational and other types of open space.
Even the few parks provided by that plan had mostly been built over in the intervening decades as real estate interests trumped the public good. In , after more than a decade of agitation by Bryant, landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing, and others, the state of New York authorized the creation of a large park in Manhattan, originally to be built and designed by Viele.
However, his design was considered perfunctory, offering little in the way of artistry or ingenuity. The Central Park Commissioners, as the governmental body was known, appointed Frederick Law Olmsted as superintendent of works and called for an open competition for a new design. Olmsted was not a designer or engineer. He had been a farmer and horticultural enthusiast on Staten Island for several years before traveling in northern Europe, Mexico, and elsewhere. His travels inspired him to take up writing and, later, magazine publishing.
Calvert Vaux approached Olmsted about jointly submitting a design to the park competition. His partnership with Olmsted resulted in a pairing of like-minded, strong-willed individuals determined to mold the park to their shared vision. Two elements distinguished the Greensward design from those of their competitors. One was the sheer allure of their landscape features, conveyed in twelve before-and-after panels included in their submission.
The other was the ingenious separation of pedestrian and cross-park carriage now vehicular traffic. Small tradesmen were not allowed to use their commercial wagons for family drives in the park, and only school boys with a note from their principal could play ball on the meadows.
New Yorkers repeatedly contested these rules, however, and in the last third of the century the park opened up to more democratic use. In the s, working-class New Yorkers successfully campaigned for concerts on Sunday, their only day of rest.
Park commissioners gradually permitted other attractions, from the Carousel and goat rides to tennis on the lawns and bicycling on the drives.
The Zoo, first given permanent quarters in , quickly became the park's most popular feature. In the early twentieth century, with the emergence of immigrant neighborhoods at the park's borders, attendance reached its all time high.
Progressive reformers joined many working-class New Yorkers in advocating the introduction of facilities for active recreation.
In , August Heckscher donated the first equipped playground, located on the southeastern meadow. When plans were announced to drain the old rectangular reservoir at the park's center, Progressives urged than it be replaced by a sports arena, swimming pool, and playing fields. Other New Yorkers, influenced by the City Beautiful movement, proposed introducing a formal civic plaza and promenade that would connect the two museums at the park's east and west borders. Landscape architects and preservationists campaigned against these design innovations, however, and the site of the reservoir was naturalistically landscaped into the Great Lawn.
Such debates over modifications of the Greensward Plan and proper uses of a public park have persisted into the present. In the s, New Yorkers were highly influenced by the parks around the world and thus declared a competition for the designing of a recreation park that would go on to become the most popular area in Manhattan.
An existing village and farmland that was inhabited by Irish immigrants and African Americans, was chosen as the most apparent site for the landscaping. Central Park consists of gigantic green spaces , water bodies and over 20, trees, 30 tennis courts, 21 playgrounds, and 26 ball fields. More than a park, space is an amalgamation of activities ideal for people of all ages and an antidote for the congestion and increasing population of New York.
This way, the park works as a major boost to the economy of the City and a congregation area with awe-inspiring landscapes and design. Central Park New York has a lot to offer. Countless pathways with beautiful greenery perfect for a morning jog, several restaurants for a date with your partner, exciting concerts that can be enjoyed with friends, or just a quiet corner by a lake to read your favorite book, the architects of the project have been successful with their vision of creating the most dynamic, interesting and delightful recreational oasis for the people of New York.
Before indulging in the sustainability factor at Central Park, one needs to understand the concept of sustainability at an NYC park in general. Some of these factors include: utilizing long-lasting and easy to maintain materials and plants, restoring the natural areas that would protect biodiversity, making attempts to reduce the impact of climate changes, reducing carbon emissions, and engaging the people to participate in keeping the park clean, maintained, and sustainable.
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