Central Park is one of those places that make New
York such a great place to live. The huge park, 341 hectare large (843
acres), is located in the center of Manhattan. Its design has served as
an example for city parks around the world.
The park boasts several lakes, theaters, ice rinks, fountains, tennis
courts, baseball fields, many playgrounds and other facilities. It is
also home to the Central Park Zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Especially during the weekends, when cars are not allowed into the park, Central Park is a welcome oasis in this hectic city.
History
Conception
When the terrain for Central Park was bought by the City of New York in
1853, it was faraway from civilization, somewhere between the City of
New York and the village Harlem. The area contained sheds from
colonists, quarries, pig farms and swamps.
In 1857, the city of New York organized a competition for the design of
this new park, which had to rival with the great parks in London and Paris. A design by Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, named 'the Greensward Plan' was chosen.
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center
This plan featured an English style landscape with large meadows,
several lakes and hills. Winding pedestrian roads were separated from
main roads and the huge number of trees ensured the city's buildings
were not visible from within the park.
Creation
To convert the swampy area into the park the designers had envisioned,
several hundred thousand trees were planted, more than 3 million cubic
yards of soil was moved, roads and bridges were constructed and a large
reservoir was dug out. It took more than 15 years before the 20,000
workers had completed the park.
Central Park immediately became a popular place for all New Yorkers, attracting millions of visitors each year.
From Relaxation to Recreation
Frederic Law Olmstead's goal was to create a place where people could
relax and meditate. He saw the park as a kind of social experiment where
people from both upper and lower classes would meet, a rather
revolutionary idea at that time.
After the appointment of Robert
Moses in 1934 as New York City Parks Commissioner, the focus of the park
shifted from relaxation to recreation.
During
Moses's 26 year tenure he constructed many sports facilities,
playgrounds and the Wollman rink. He also renovated the Zoo, and
installed several sculptures including
'Alice in Wonderland '.
Decline and renovation
After the departure of Moses in 1960, Central park
started to decline. Graffiti, garbage and criminality kept both citizens
and tourists from visiting the park. In the 1970s the park became a
symbol of New York City's decline.
The
tide started to turn in 1980 when a group of citizens created the
Central Park Conservancy. Together with the city, it started a 50
million dollar renovation project. Several parts of the park, including
Sheep Meadow and Bethesda Terrace were restored. Three employees were
hired to remove the graffiti - it took them three years to complete this
task. Criminality was reduced with the deployment of a large police
force.
Thanks to these efforts by both the city and private groups, Central
Park is now a relatively clean and safe place, visited by more than 30
million people each year.
Sights & Attractions
There's plenty to see and do in Central Park. Sports facilities can be
found all over the park but most of the interesting sights are found in
the lower half of Central Park. You'll come across historical buildings,
statues, monuments, beautiful bridges, and of course plenty of nature.
Some of it is quite rugged like the forest-like Ramble while other parts
of the park are more manicured and feature beautiful flowers and
shrubs.
There
are eighteen gated entrances to the park. Each of them has its own
name. Several of these gates are ornate such as the Vanderbilt Gate,
Engineers' Gate and in particular Merchants' Gate at Columbus Circle.
Central Park Zoo
Many people enter the via the Scholars' Gate at Grand Army Plaza, near Fifth Avenue,
which leads to a nice pond with a beautiful stone bridge. More to the
north is one of the park's most popular attractions: Central Park Zoo.
The zoo has exhibits divided into several regions such as a tropic zone
and polar circle. Some of its popular residents include polar bears,
snow leopards, red pandas and penguins. Just north of the Central Park
Zoo is the Tisch Children's Zoo, where small children can see and touch
domestic animals.
Dairy
West of the Central Park Zoo is the Dairy, a Victorian style cottage
created in 1870. The picturesque building houses a Visitor Center where
you can get maps, guides, gifts, and information on events that are
planned in Central Park. The Dairy is located at a former pasture, where
cows grazed to provide fresh milk for the city's children, hence the
name of the building.
Bethesda Terrace
Bethesda Fountain and Terrace
The Mall, a wide boulevard lined with American elm trees, brings you
from the Dairy to the Bethesda Terrace, one of Central Park's
architectural highlights. The terrace has a central covered arcade
flanked by two staircases that lead to a plaza. The focal point of the
plaza is the Bethesda Fountain, installed here in 1873. The fountain's
statue, Angel of the Waters, was created in 1842 by Emma Stebbins to
commemorate the opening of the Croton water system, which for the first
time provided New York with clean water. Bethesda Terrace overlooks The
Lake and the Loeb Boathouse, where you can rent rowing boats or even a
gondola.
Statues
Remote controlled model boat enthusiasts head to the Conservatory
Water, a pond situated east of The Lake. There are two statues near the
pond that are very popular with children. At the west side of the pond
stands a statue of Hans Christian Andersen while a sculpture group of
Alice in Wonderland and her friends can be found just north of the
Conservatory Water. Children love to climb on the giant mushroom.
Another famous statue in Central Park shows Balto, a Siberian Husky sled
dog who in 1925 helped transport medicine across Alaska to deliver a
serum necessary to stop a deadly outbreak of diphtheria.
Sheep Meadow and Great Lawn
Just west of the Mall is one of Central Park's largest open spaces:
Sheep Meadow, an expansive pasture popular in summertime with
sunbathers. The Great Lawn, more to the north and at the geographical
center of Central Park, is even larger. The oval lawn, created in 1937,
often plays host to free summer concerts.
Metropolitan Museum and Cleopatra's Needle
The most important monument in Central Park is Cleopatra's Needle, an
authentic Egyptian obelisk, located east of the Great Lawn. The 20 meter
tall granite obelisk was originally erected at Heliopolis and later
moved to Alexandria. In the mid 19th century it was donated to the US as
a gift from Egypt.
The obelisk stands near the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
one of the world's most important museums, with an enormous collection
of artwork from all continents, covering a period from prehistory to
today.
Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields is a memorial garden situated near the entrance to
Central Park at W 72nd Street. It was created in honor of John Lennon,
who was shot dead in front of the Dakota Apartments,
where he lived. The tear-shaped garden was dedicated in 1985 as a
garden of peace. It is named after a Beatles song written by John
Lennon.
The famous mosaic with the word Imagine (another Lennon song) was a gift from the city of Naples in Italy.
Bow Bridge and Ramble
There are many bridges in Central Park - each with a unique design. One
of the most interesting in the 18 meter (60 ft) long cast-iron Bow
Bridge, that spans The Lake between Cherry Hill near the Bethesda
Terrace and the Ramble, a 15 hectare (38 acre) large woodland. Here
Central Park is at its most natural, with narrow paths winding through
thickets of trees. This is a popular place for bird-watching: the Ramble
is on a trans-Atlantic migration route and more than 250 different bird
species have been spotted here.
Belvedere Castle
Just north of the Ramble is the Belvedere Castle, situated at the
highest point in the park. The castle was created in 1869 as a lookout
tower after a design by Calvert Vaux. The tower overlooks Turtle Pond,
named for the many turtles that live here.
Shakespeare Garden
Shakespeare Garden was created in 1913 as the Garden of the Heart. Three
years later, on the 300th anniversary of the Shakespeare's death, it
was dedicated to the famous play writer. The garden contains plants that
were mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Stairs connect the garden with
the Swedish Cottage, a replica of a Swedish school from the 19th
century. It was transported to Philadelphia on the occasion of the
Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 and it eventually ended up
here in New York's Central Park.
Conservatory Garden
The upper part of Central Park is less visited and there are also less
interesting sights. One major exception is the Conservatory Garden, the
only garden in Central Park with a formal layout. It is divided into
three sections: a central Italianate garden flanked by a French-style
garden to the north and an English-style garden to the south. The
gardens are adorned with several beautiful fountains, including "Three
Dancing Maidens", created in 1910 by the German sculptor Walter Schott.
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center
Further up north, bordering Harlem, is Harlem Meer, one of the largest
lakes in Central Park. The pretty Victorian-style building near the lake
is much younger than it looks: it was built in 1993. It is home to the
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, an environmental educational center
targeting families and children.
