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128-573: Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City that was the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the sixth-largest park in the city , containing 843 acres (341 ha), and the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated 42 million visitors annually as of 2016. It is also one of

256-451: A 10-minute walk , provides multiple benefits. A park is an area of open space provided for recreational use, usually owned and maintained by a local government. Grass is typically kept short to discourage insect pests and to allow for the enjoyment of picnics and sporting activities. Trees are chosen for their beauty and to provide shade , with an increasing emphasis on reducing an urban heat island effect. Some early parks include

384-446: A "consulting board" of seven people, headed by author Washington Irving , to inspire public confidence in the proposed development. Wood hired military engineer Egbert Ludovicus Viele as the park's chief engineer, tasking him with a topographical survey of the site. The following April, the state legislature passed a bill to authorize the appointment of four Democratic and seven Republican commissioners, who had exclusive control over

512-523: A 10-year, $ 100 million "Central Park Management and Restoration Plan". The long-closed Belvedere Castle was renovated and reopened in 1983, while the Central Park Zoo closed for a full reconstruction that year. To reduce the maintenance effort, large gatherings such as free concerts were canceled. On completion of the planning stage in 1985, the Conservancy launched its first campaign and mapped out

640-520: A 15-year restoration plan. Over the next several years, the campaign restored landmarks in the southern part of the park, such as Grand Army Plaza and the police station at the 86th Street transverse; while Conservatory Garden in the northeastern corner of the park was restored to a design by Lynden B. Miller . Real estate developer Donald Trump renovated the Wollman Rink in 1987 after plans to renovate it were delayed repeatedly. The following year,

768-503: A British invasion from the north, including (from west to east) the Blockhouse , Fort Fish , Nutter's Battery , a second blockhouse at McGowan's Pass , and Fort Clinton . Harlem Meer (also called "Harlem Lake" in its early days) took the first part of its name from the adjacent neighborhood of Harlem , and the second from the Dutch word for "lake". For example, Haarlemmermeer , the name of

896-599: A NYC Parks administrator and a board of citizens. In 1979, Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis established the Office of Central Park Administrator and appointed Elizabeth Barlow , the executive director of the Central Park Task Force, to the position. The Central Park Conservancy, a nonprofit organization with a citizen board, was founded the following year. Under the leadership of the Central Park Conservancy,

1024-410: A decline in park conditions. A 1973 report noted that the park suffered from severe erosion and tree decay, and that individual structures were being vandalized or neglected. The Central Park Community Fund was subsequently created based on the recommendation of a report from a Columbia University professor. The Fund then commissioned a study of the park's management and suggested the appointment of both

1152-542: A message to the New York City Common Council on May 5, 1851, set forth the necessity and benefits of a large new park and proposed the council move to create such a park. Kingsland's proposal was referred to the council's Committee of Lands, which endorsed the proposal. The committee chose Jones's Wood , a 160-acre (65 ha) tract of land between 66th and 75th streets on the Upper East Side, as

1280-575: A more picturesque design. It was influenced by the pastoral ideals of landscaped cemeteries such as Mount Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts , and Green-Wood in Brooklyn. The design was also inspired by Olmsted's 1850 visit to Birkenhead Park in Birkenhead , England, which is generally acknowledged as the first publicly funded civil park in the world. According to Olmsted, the park was "of great importance as

1408-598: A municipality in the Netherlands, translates to English as "Haarlem's Lake". Harlem Meer was built within the "Extension," the 65 acre section of Central Park from 106th to 110th streets that was formally added in 1863 to the park's original 778 acres. Thus, the lake's creation required that the park commissioners approve amendments to the original park plan. Most of the work was carried out by park comptroller Andrew Haswell Green and his superintending engineer William H. Grant, after Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux ,

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1536-423: A new boathouse designed by architect Aymar Embury II . According to the department's press release: ...The existing facilities are inadequate to meet the heavy demands of the large adjacent population and the result has been destructive to the natural features. The present layout, a product of the outmoded theory that parks are passive recreation areas designed solely for visual pleasure, must be revamped to fulfill

1664-431: A permanent patrol. The regulations were sometimes strict. For instance, prohibited actions included games of chance , speech-making, large congregations such as picnics , or picking flowers or other parts of plants. These ordinances were effective: by 1866, there had been nearly eight million visits and only 110 arrests in the park's history. In late August 1857, workers began building fences, clearing vegetation, draining

1792-675: A public housing development, a golf course, and a "revolving world's fair". The 1960s marked the beginning of an "Events Era" in Central Park that reflected the widespread cultural and political trends of the period. The Public Theater 's annual Shakespeare in the Park festival was settled in the Delacorte Theater , and summer performances were instituted on the Sheep Meadow and the Great Lawn by

1920-452: A ravine from the southwest (the only one of the three still in existence). At this confluence with its two tributaries, Harlem Creek became Harlem Marsh, a semi-brackish, partly tidal wetland, flowing in an easterly direction (between what are now 106th and 110th streets), slowly draining into the East River . Prior to its burial beneath the city's expanding street grid, the marsh separated

2048-521: A short-lived enterprise. In 1984, The New York Times described the building as a "burned-out boathouse." In October that year, Warner LeRoy (operator of Tavern on the Green ) and Percy Sutton (a former Manhattan borough president) began negotiating with the Parks Department to install a restaurant in the boathouse. The intent, according to Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, was to attract more people to

2176-539: A similar ratio of park usage: only 14% of visits are by people visiting Central Park for the first time. According to the report, nearly two-thirds of visitors are regular park users who enter the park at least once weekly, and about 70% of visitors live in New York City. Moreover, peak visitation occurred during summer weekends, and most visitors used the park for passive recreational activities such as walking or sightseeing, rather than for active sport. The park

2304-541: A style intended to “reinforce the romantic landscape design.” It was completed in 1993. The proposed new restaurant building, in its final iteration three times the size of the Dana Center, and planned to sit just east of it, was never built. In 2018, the Central Park Conservancy announced a $ 150 million project to remove the Lasker Rink and replace it with a new facility to be named Harlem Meer Center. The new facility

2432-502: A three hundred and sixty foot boat landing platform thirty feet wide. Two new entrances will be cut through the north wall of the park with stone stairways leading to the boat house plaza...Appropriate trees including willows, oaks and dogwoods and various flowering shrubs will be added to the existing planting. In March 1943, after approximately half of the project had been completed by the Works Progress Administration ,

2560-556: Is a man-made lake at the northeast corner of New York City 's Central Park . It lies west of Fifth Avenue , south of 110th Street , and north of the Conservatory Garden , near the Harlem and East Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan . The lake, as originally constructed, was 12.634 acres (51,130 m ), but after the completion in 1966 of the Lasker skating rink and swimming pool , it

2688-583: Is managed and maintained by the Central Park Conservancy , a private, not-for-profit organization, under contract with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). The president of the Conservancy is the ex officio administrator of Central Park who effectively oversees the work of both the park's private and public employees under the authority of the publicly appointed Central Park Administrator, who reports to both

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2816-489: Is much lower; a Central Park Conservancy report conducted in 2011 found that between eight and nine million people visited Central Park, with 37 to 38 million visits between them. By comparison, there were 25 million visitors in 2009, and 12.3 million in 1973. The number of tourists as a proportion of total visitors is much lower: in 2009, one-fifth of the 25 million park visitors recorded that year were estimated to be tourists. The 2011 Conservancy report gave

2944-454: Is near the southwest corner of the park. Urban park Depending on size, budget, and land features, which varies considerably among individual parks, common features include playgrounds , gardens , hiking, running, fitness trails or paths, bridle paths , sports fields and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps, performance venues, or BBQ and picnic facilities. Park advocates claim that having parks near urban residents, including within

3072-411: Is now mainly completed. Having been entrusted with the exercise of a liberal discretion in the execution of this part of the work, since the retirement of Mr. F.L. Olmsted from its general direction, I trust the work is not inharmonious with the work at large. In the course of the transformation of Montayne's Rivulet from 1862 to 1866, the part of the stream that stood outside the park was diverted into

3200-711: The American Museum of Natural History , founded three years before at the Arsenal . A corresponding area on the East Side, originally intended as a playground, would later become the Metropolitan Museum of Art . In the final years of Central Park's construction, Vaux and Mould designed several structures for Central Park. The park's sheepfold (now Tavern on the Green) and Ladies' Meadow were designed by Mould in 1870–1871, followed by

3328-623: The COVID-19 pandemic . A renovation of the Chess and Checkers House was completed in June 2023, and a renovation of the Delacorte Theater began later that year. In addition, pickleball courts were added to Wollman Rink in 2023 and became permanent the next year. The Central Park Conservancy allocated $ 64 million in early 2024 to fix sidewalks on 108 blocks immediately surrounding the park. Later that year,

3456-464: The Great Lawn and Turtle Pond , which was completed in 1997. The Upper Reservoir was decommissioned as a part of the city's water supply system in 1993, and was renamed after former U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis the next year. During the mid-1990s, the Conservancy hired additional volunteers and implemented a zone-based system of management throughout the park. The Conservancy assumed much of

3584-547: The La Alameda de Hércules , in Seville , a promenaded public mall, urban garden and park built in 1574, within the historic center of Seville. The Városliget ( City Park ) in the City of Pest , what is today Budapest, Hungary , was a city property when afforestation started in the middle of the 18th century, from the 1790s with the clear aim to create a public park. Between 1799 and 1805 it

3712-549: The New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera . During the late 1960s, the park became the venue for rallies and cultural events such as the "love-ins" and "be-ins" of the period. The same year, Lasker Rink opened in the northern part of the park; the facility served as an ice rink in winter and Central Park's only swimming pool in summer. By the mid-1970s, managerial neglect resulted in

3840-602: The Village of Yorkville Park in Toronto , which won an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Parks are sometimes made out of oddly shaped areas of land, much like the vacant lots that often become city neighborhood parks. Linked parks may form a greenbelt . There is a form of an urban park in the UK (officially called a "recreation ground", but commonly called a "rec" by

3968-400: The coronavirus pandemic , temporary field hospitals were set up within the park to treat overflow patients from area hospitals. By mid-2023, the New York City government was considering erecting tents in Central Park to temporarily house asylum seekers. This move came after the federal government repealed an order authorizing Title 42 expulsions of migrants, which had been implemented during

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4096-605: The gneiss ), do not surface in the park. Fordham gneiss, which consists of metamorphosed igneous rocks , was formed a billion years ago, during the Grenville orogeny that occurred during the creation of an ancient super-continent. Manhattan schist and Hartland schist were formed in the Iapetus Ocean during the Taconic orogeny in the Paleozoic era, about 450 million years ago, when

4224-753: The 1850s and 1860s. It has eight lakes and ponds that were created artificially by damming natural seeps and flows. There are several wooded sections, lawns, meadows, and minor grassy areas. There are 21 children's playgrounds , and 6.1 miles (9.8 km) of drives. Central Park is the sixth-largest park in New York City , behind Pelham Bay Park , the Staten Island Greenbelt , Freshkills Park , Van Cortlandt Park , and Flushing Meadows–Corona Park , with an area of 843 acres (341 ha; 1.317 sq mi; 3.41 km). Central Park constitutes its own United States census tract , numbered 143. According to American Community Survey five-year estimates,

4352-654: The 1900s and 1910s. These associations advocated against such changes to the park as the construction of a library, sports stadium, a cultural center, and an underground parking lot. A third group, the Central Park Association, was created in 1926. The Central Park Association and the Parks and Playgrounds Association were merged into the Park Association of New York City two years later. The Heckscher Playground —named after philanthropist August Heckscher , who donated

4480-527: The 1940s and 1950s include a restoration of the Harlem Meer completed in 1943, and a new boathouse completed in 1954. Moses began construction on several other recreational features in Central Park, such as playgrounds and ball fields. One of the more controversial projects proposed during this time was a 1956 dispute over a parking lot for Tavern in the Green. The controversy placed Moses, an urban planner known for displacing families for other large projects around

4608-420: The 2010s. Belvedere Castle was closed in 2018 for an extensive renovation, reopening in June 2019. Later in 2018, it was announced that the Delacorte Theater would be closed from 2020 to 2022 for a $ 110 million rebuild. The Central Park Conservancy further announced that Lasker Rink would be closed for a $ 150 million renovation; demolition of the existing rink began in 2021. In March 2020, in response to

4736-555: The 30-acre (12 ha) Great Lawn. The western part of the Pond at the park's southeast corner became an ice skating rink called Wollman Rink , roads were improved or widened, and twenty-one playgrounds were added. These projects used funds from the New Deal program, and donations from the public. Moses removed Sheep Meadow 's sheep to make way for the Tavern on the Green restaurant. Renovations in

4864-648: The Central Park Conservancy began restoring the Ramble and Lake, in a project that was completed in 2012. Bank Rock Bridge was restored, and the Gill, which empties into the lake, was reconstructed to approximate its dramatic original form. The final feature to be restored was the East Meadow, which was rehabilitated in 2011. In 2014, the New York City Council proposed a study on the viability of banning vehicular traffic from

4992-430: The Central Park Conservancy since 1998, under a contract with the municipal government in a public–private partnership . The Conservancy, a non-profit organization, raises Central Park's annual operating budget and is responsible for all basic care of the park. Central Park is bordered by Central Park North at 110th Street; Central Park South at 59th Street; Central Park West at Eighth Avenue; and Fifth Avenue on

5120-543: The Central Park Conservancy sometimes hires seasonal Parks Enforcement Patrol officers to protect certain features such as the Conservatory Garden . A free volunteer medical emergency service, the Central Park Medical Unit , operates within Central Park. The unit operates a rapid-response patrol with bicycles, ambulances , and an all-terrain vehicle . Before the unit was established in 1975, municipal EMS often took over 30 minutes to respond to incidents in

5248-607: The Central Park site, chose it because the Croton Aqueduct's 35-acre (14 ha), 150-million-US-gallon (570 × 10 ^  L) collecting reservoir would be in the geographical center. In July 1853, the New York State Legislature passed the Central Park Act, authorizing the purchase of the present-day site of Central Park. The board of land commissioners conducted property assessments on more than 34,000 lots in

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5376-604: The Croton Aqueduct board. Work on the Reservoir started in April 1858. The first major work in Central Park involved grading the driveways and draining the land in the park's southern section. The Lake in Central Park's southwestern section was the first feature to open to the public, in December 1858, followed by the Ramble in June 1859. The same year, the New York State Legislature authorized the purchase of an additional 65 acres (26 ha) at

5504-576: The Dairy, which reopened as the park's first visitor center in 1979. The Sheep Meadow, which reopened the following year, was the first landscape to be restored. Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, the USS Maine National Monument , and the Bow Bridge were also rehabilitated. By then, the Conservancy was engaged in design efforts and long-term restoration planning, and in 1981, Davis and Barlow announced

5632-533: The Lake. The Tammany Hall political machine, which was the largest political force in New York at the time, was in control of Central Park for a brief period beginning in April 1870. A new charter created by Tammany boss William M. Tweed abolished the old 11-member commission and replaced it with one with five men composed of Green and four other Tammany-connected figures. Subsequently, Olmsted and Vaux resigned again from

5760-509: The Meer. However, the deal fell through and by 1986, the Times reported that the Parks Department and Harlem community leaders had agreed that "the old building should be demolished and a new one put up." Beginning in 1990, the Central Park Conservancy , a non-profit organization founded to help restore the park, undertook the reconstruction of Harlem Meer, demolishing the abandoned boathouse, replacing

5888-604: The New York State Senate commissioned the Swiss engineer Julius Kellersberger to write a report on the park. Kellersberger's report, submitted in 1861, stated that the commission's management of the park was a "triumphant success". Olmsted often clashed with the park commissioners, notably with Chief Commissioner Green. Olmsted resigned in June 1862, and Green was appointed to Olmsted's position. Vaux resigned in 1863 because of what he saw as pressure from Green. As superintendent of

6016-431: The Park . Central Park is traversed by a system of roads and walkways and is served by public transportation. Its size and cultural position make it a model for the world's urban parks. Its influence earned Central Park the designations of National Historic Landmark in 1963 and of New York City scenic landmark in 1974. Central Park is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation but has been managed by

6144-408: The Parks Department solicited bids to complete enough of the work to reopen the area to the public. By December, the department had reopened Harlem Meer, deferring unessential work on account of the war effort, promising that, "at the end of the war the 360-foot boat landing platform will be completed, and the combination brick boathouse, comfort station, and refreshment concession will be constructed on

6272-505: The Tammany administration, and budget cuts demanded by taxpayers, the maintenance expenses for Central Park had reached a nadir by 1879. Olmsted blamed politicians, real estate owners, and park workers for Central Park's decline, though high maintenance costs were also a factor. By the 1890s, the park faced several challenges: cars were becoming commonplace, and with the proliferation of amusements and refreshment stands, people were beginning to see

6400-473: The Tammany-era staff. At the time, the lawns were filled with weeds and dust patches, while many trees were dying or already dead. Monuments had been vandalized, equipment and walkways were broken, and ironwork was rusted. Moses's biographer Robert Caro later said, "The once beautiful Mall looked like a scene of a wild party the morning after. Benches lay on their backs, their legs jabbing at the sky..." During

6528-593: The UK, with around 2.6 billion visits to parks each year. Many parks are of cultural and historical interest, with 300 registered by Historic England as of national importance. Most public parks have been provided and run by local authorities over the past hundred and seventy years, but these authorities have no statutory duty to fund or maintain these public parks. In 2016 the Heritage Lottery Fund 's State of UK Public Parks reported that "92 per cent of park managers report their maintenance budgets have reduced in

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6656-459: The United States and the world, though cow grazing did not end until the 1830s. Around the country, the predecessors to urban parks in the United States were generally rural cemeteries . The cemeteries were intended as civic institutions designed for public use. Before the widespread development of public parks, the rural cemetery provided a place for the general public to enjoy outdoor recreation amidst art and sculpture previously available only for

6784-776: The United States are Central Park in New York, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Mission Bay Park in San Diego. In the early 1900s, according to Cranz, U.S. cities built neighborhood parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and civic buildings, with the intention of Americanizing the immigrant residents. In the 1950s, when money became available after World War II , new parks continued to focus on both outdoor and indoor recreation with services, such as sports leagues using their ball fields and gymnasia. These smaller parks were built in residential neighborhoods, and tried to serve all residents with programs for seniors, adults, teens and children. Green space

6912-622: The Zoo reopened after a $ 35 million, four-year renovation. Work on the northern end of the park began in 1989. A$ 51 million campaign, announced in 1993, resulted in the restoration of bridle trails, the Mall, the Harlem Meer, and the North Woods, and the construction of the Dana Discovery Center on the Harlem Meer. This was followed by the Conservancy's overhaul of the 55 acres (22 ha) near

7040-429: The administrative offices on the 86th Street transverse in 1872. Even though Olmsted and Vaux's partnership was dissolved by the end of 1872, the park was not officially completed until 1876. By the 1870s, the park's patrons increasingly came to include the middle and working class, and strict regulations were gradually eased, such as those against public gatherings. Because of the heightened visitor count, neglect by

7168-478: The architects Fordyce & Hamby Associates. The structure, built over the mouth of the Loch at the Meer's southwest corner, required that the Meer temporarily be drained. From its completion in 1966 until its removal in 2021, Lasker served as an ice skating rink in winter and as Central Park's only swimming pool in summer. In 1973, the 1940s era boathouse was converted into a restaurant known as Across 110th Street,

7296-480: The area, completing them by July 1855. While the assessments were ongoing, proposals to downsize the plans were vetoed by mayor Fernando Wood . At the time, the site was occupied by free black people and Irish immigrants who had developed a property-owning community there since 1825. Most of the Central Park site's residents lived in small villages, such as Pigtown; Seneca Village ; or in the school and convent at Mount St. Vincent's Academy . Clearing began shortly after

7424-446: The city, against a group of mothers who frequented a wooded hollow at the site of a parking lot. Though opposed by the parents, Moses approved the destruction of part of the hollow. Demolition work commenced after Central Park was closed for the night and was only halted after the threat of a lawsuit. Moses left his position in May 1960. No park commissioner since then has been able to exercise

7552-513: The commissioners recorded the completion of the lake during the summer of 1866, noting that, "the surface of the Park at the northeast corner being completed, the water was confined in the Harlem Lake in August last." On September 21, 1941, the Parks Department announced thirteen new construction projects, the largest of which was the reconstruction of the northeastern corner of Central Park, to include

7680-488: The concrete perimeter curb with a more natural shoreline, and dredging 40,000 cubic yards (31,000 m ) of sediment and debris from the meer. On the north shore, the Conservancy built the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, an environmental education center, and the first information center at the north end of Central Park. The 5,200-square-foot (480 m ) building was designed by the architects Buttrick White & Burtis in

7808-438: The confines of a serpentine carriageway, put in place the essential elements of his much-imitated design for Birkenhead Park in Birkenhead . The latter commenced in 1843 with the help of public finance and deployed the ideas which Paxton had pioneered at Princes Park on a more expansive scale. Frederick Law Olmsted visited Birkenhead Park in 1850 and praised its qualities. Indeed, Paxton is widely credited as having been one of

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7936-722: The conservancy announced plans to redesign the park's drives to provide bike lanes and pedestrian paths of consistent width. A report by the conservancy also recommended constructing bike lanes on the 86th Street transverse, as well as removing traffic lights from the park, which served little purpose due to the lack of vehicular traffic. There are four different types of bedrock in Manhattan. In Central Park, Manhattan schist and Hartland schist, which are both metamorphosed sedimentary rock , are exposed in various outcroppings . The other two types, Fordham gneiss (an older deeper layer) and Inwood marble (metamorphosed limestone which overlays

8064-400: The designed landscape as a setting for the suburban domicile (an idea pioneered by John Nash at Regent's Park in London) and re-fashioned it for the provincial town in a most original way. Nash's remodelling of St James's Park from 1827 and the sequence of processional routes he created to link The Mall with Regent's Park completely transformed the appearance of London's West End . With

8192-708: The development of new parks such as the High Line and Brooklyn Bridge Park . Central Park is patrolled by its own New York City Police Department precinct, the 22nd (Central Park) Precinct, at the 86th Street transverse. The precinct employs both regular police and auxiliary officers. The 22nd Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 81.2% between 1990 and 2023. The precinct saw no murders, three rapes, 23 robberies, nine felony assaults, five burglaries, 48 grand larcenies, and no grand larcenies auto in 2023. The citywide New York City Parks Enforcement Patrol patrols Central Park, and

8320-440: The east. The park is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Harlem to the north, Midtown Manhattan to the south, the Upper West Side to the west, and the Upper East Side to the east. It measures 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from north to south and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from west to east. Central Park is split into three sections: the "North End" extending above the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir ; "Mid-Park", between

8448-442: The establishment of Princes Park in 1842, Joseph Paxton did something similar for the benefit of a provincial town, albeit one of international stature by virtue of its flourishing mercantile sector. Liverpool had a burgeoning presence in global maritime trade before 1800, and during the Victorian era its wealth rivalled that of London itself. The form and layout of Paxton's ornamental grounds, structured about an informal lake within

8576-408: The first real Park made in this country—a democratic development of the highest significance". Construction of Central Park's design was executed by a gamut of professionals. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux were the primary designers, assisted by board member Andrew Haswell Green , architect Jacob Wrey Mould , master gardener Ignaz Anton Pilat , and engineer George E. Waring Jr. Olmsted

8704-438: The following year, the city's parks department replanted lawns and flowers, replaced dead trees and bushes, sandblasted walls, repaired roads and bridges, and restored statues. The park menagerie was transformed into the modern Central Park Zoo , and a rat extermination program was instituted within the zoo. Another dramatic change was Moses' removal of the " Hoover valley " shantytown at the north end of Turtle Pond, which became

8832-779: The form of walking, running, horse riding, mountain biking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing; or sedentary activity such as observing nature, bird watching, painting, photography, or picnicking. Limiting park or open space use to passive recreation over all or a portion of the park's area eliminates or reduces the burden of managing active recreation facilities and developed infrastructure. Many ski resorts combine active recreation facilities (ski lifts, gondolas, terrain parks, downhill runs, and lodges) with passive recreation facilities (cross-country ski trails). Many smaller neighborhood parks are receiving increased attention and valuation as significant community assets and places of refuge in heavily populated urban areas. Neighborhood groups around

8960-430: The grounds for the construction of intersections within the modern-day park site. The only remaining surveying bolt from his survey is embedded in a rock north of the present Dairy and the 66th Street transverse, marking the location where West 65th Street would have intersected Sixth Avenue . By the 1840s, members of the city's elite were publicly calling for the construction of a new large park in Manhattan. At

9088-433: The land commission's report was released in October 1855, and approximately 1,600 residents were evicted under eminent domain . Though supporters claimed that the park would cost just $ 1.7 million, the total cost of the land ended up being $ 7.39 million (equivalent to $ 242 million in 2023), more than the price that the United States would pay for Alaska a few years later. In June 1856, Fernando Wood appointed

9216-577: The land, and leveling uneven terrain. By the following month, chief engineer Viele reported that the project employed nearly 700 workers. Olmsted employed workers using day labor , hiring men directly without any contracts and paying them by the day. Many of the laborers were Irish immigrants or first-or-second generation Irish Americans , and some Germans and Italians ; there were no black or female laborers. The workers were often underpaid, and workers would often take jobs at other construction projects to supplement their income. A pattern of seasonal hiring

9344-525: The large amount of open space and natural habitat in the former pleasure grounds, they now serve as important wildlife refuges, and often provide the only opportunity for urban residents to hike or picnic in a semi-wild area. However, city managers or politicians can target these parks as sources of free land for other uses. Partly for this reason, some of these large parks have "friends of X park" advisory boards that help protect and maintain their semi-wild nature. There are around estimated 27,000 public parks in

9472-477: The many recreational needs of all the people of this section of Harlem...A masonry wall about one foot high and a fifteen foot promenade will form the new shore line completely encircling the lake...Benches will be spaced along the lake promenade, the general path system including the trails, and the overlook areas. The main features of the north shore adjacent to 110 Street will be a U-shaped combination brick boat house, comfort station and refreshment concession with

9600-415: The measuring and constructing architectural features such as paths, roads, and buildings. Waring was one of the engineers working under Grant's leadership and was in charge of land drainage. Central Park was difficult to construct because of the generally rocky and swampy landscape. Around five million cubic feet (140,000 m) of soil and rocks had to be transported out of the park, and more gunpowder

9728-508: The most filmed locations in the world. The creation of a large park in Manhattan was first proposed in the 1840s, and a 778-acre (315 ha) park approved in 1853. In 1858, landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition for the park with their "Greensward Plan". Construction began in 1857; existing structures, including a majority-Black settlement named Seneca Village , were seized through eminent domain and razed. The park's first areas were opened to

9856-567: The need to provide substantial space to congregate, typically involves intensive management, maintenance, and high costs. Passive recreation, also called "low-intensity recreation" is that which emphasizes the open-space aspect of a park and allows for the preservation of natural habitat. It usually involves a low level of development, such as rustic picnic areas, benches, and trails. Passive recreation typically requires little management and can be provided at very low costs. Some open space managers provide nothing other than trails for physical activity in

9984-510: The north shore of the Meer." Construction work resumed in 1946, and on August 6, 1947, the Parks Department announced that row boating would resume, the concession to be run out of the new boathouse, "designed in modified victorian style in harmony with the architecture of other structures in the park." In 1962, Mayor Robert Wagner announced that the Parks Department would build the Loula D. Lasker Memorial Swimming Pool and Skating Rink , designed by

10112-502: The northern end of Central Park, from 106th to 110th Streets. The section of Central Park south of 79th Street was mostly completed by 1860. The park commissioners reported in June 1860 that $ 4 million had been spent on the construction to date. As a result of the sharply rising construction costs, the commissioners eliminated or downsized several features in the Greensward Plan. Based on claims of cost mismanagement,

10240-564: The northern section of the park but was complicated by a need to preserve the historic McGowan's Pass . The Upper Reservoir was completed the following year. During this period Central Park began to gain popularity. One of the main attractions was the "Carriage Parade", a daily display of horse-drawn carriages that traversed the park. Park patronage grew steadily: by 1867, Central Park accommodated nearly three million pedestrians, 85,000 horses, and 1.38 million vehicles annually. The park had activities for New Yorkers of all social classes. While

10368-440: The nurseries of Central Park in 1886. Parsons closely followed Olmsted's original vision for the park, restoring Central Park's trees while blocking the placement of several large statues in the park. Under Parsons' leadership, two circles (now Duke Ellington and Frederick Douglass Circles ) were constructed at the northern corners of the park. He was removed in May 1911 following a lengthy dispute over whether an expense to replace

10496-538: The park as a recreational attraction. The 1904 opening of the New York City Subway displaced Central Park as the city's predominant leisure destination, as New Yorkers could travel to farther destinations such as Coney Island beaches or Broadway theaters for a five-cent fare. In the late 19th century the landscape architect Samuel Parsons took the position of New York City parks superintendent. A onetime apprentice of Calvert Vaux , Parsons helped restore

10624-629: The park commissioners decided to continue building Central Park, since significant parts of the park had already been completed. Only three major structures were completed during the Civil War: the Music Stand and the Casino restaurant, both later demolished, and the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain . By late 1861, the park south of 72nd Street had been completed, except for various fences. Work had begun on

10752-437: The park commissioners selected Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux 's "Greensward Plan" as the winning design. Three other plans were designated as runners-up and featured in a city exhibit. Unlike many of the other designs, which effectively integrated Central Park with the surrounding city, Olmsted and Vaux's proposal introduced clear separations with sunken transverse roadways. The plan eschewed symmetry, instead opting for

10880-593: The park in the form of glacial erratics (large boulders dropped by the receding glacier) and north–south glacial striations visible on stone outcroppings. Alignments of glacial erratics, called "boulder trains", are present throughout Central Park. The most notable of these outcroppings is Rat Rock (also known as Umpire Rock), a circular outcropping at the southwestern corner of the park. It measures 55 feet (17 m) wide and 15 feet (4.6 m) tall with different east, west, and north faces. Boulderers sometimes congregate there. A single glacial pothole with yellow clay

11008-806: The park starting in the 1980s. The park's main attractions include the Ramble and Lake , Hallett Nature Sanctuary , the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir , and Sheep Meadow ; amusement attractions such as Wollman Rink , Central Park Carousel , and the Central Park Zoo ; formal spaces such as the Central Park Mall and Bethesda Terrace ; and the Delacorte Theater . The biologically diverse ecosystem has several hundred species of flora and fauna. Recreational activities include carriage-horse and bicycle tours, bicycling, sports facilities, and concerts and events such as Shakespeare in

11136-404: The park was built was purchased by Richard Vaughan Yates, an iron merchant and philanthropist, in 1841 for £50,000. The creation of Princes Park showed great foresight and introduced a number of highly influential ideas. First and foremost was the provision of open space for the benefit of townspeople and local residents within an area that was being rapidly built up. Secondly it took the concept of

11264-420: The park was home to four females with a median age of 19.8. Though the 2010 United States Census recorded 25 residents within the census tract, park officials have rejected the claim of anyone permanently living there. Central Park is the most visited urban park in the United States and one of the most visited tourist attractions worldwide, with 42 million visitors in 2016. The number of unique visitors

11392-401: The park's drives. The next year, mayor Bill de Blasio announced that West and East drives north of 72nd Street would be closed to vehicular traffic, because the city's data showed that closing the roads did not adversely impact traffic flows. Subsequently, in June 2018, the remaining drives south of 72nd Street were closed to vehicular traffic. Several structures were also renovated in

11520-537: The park's operations in early 1998. Renovations continued through the first decade of the 21st century, and a project to restore the pond was commenced in 2000. Four years later, the Conservancy replaced a chain-link fence with a replica of the original cast-iron fence that surrounded the Upper Reservoir. It started refurbishing the ceiling tiles of the Bethesda Arcade, which was completed in 2007. Soon after,

11648-426: The park's principal designers, resigned (Olmsted in the summer of 1861; Vaux in 1863), and before they were rehired in mid-1865. In his report of January 1, 1866, Grant wrote: During the last two years the portion of the Park north of 102d street, and including what is known as the "Extension," has chiefly engaged [our] attention, being the district that was last entered upon in the general work of improvement. This

11776-451: The park's reclamation began by addressing needs that could not be met within NYC Parks' existing resources. The Conservancy hired interns and a small restoration staff to reconstruct and repair unique rustic features, undertaking horticultural projects, and removing graffiti under the broken windows theory which advocated removing visible signs of decay. The first structure to be renovated was

11904-480: The park's site, as Bryant had advocated for Jones Wood. The acquisition was controversial because of its location, small size relative to other potential uptown tracts, and cost. A bill to acquire Jones's Wood was invalidated as unconstitutional, so attention turned to a second site: a 750-acre (300 ha) area known as "Central Park", bounded by 59th and 106th streets between Fifth and Eighth avenues. Croton Aqueduct Board president Nicholas Dean, who proposed

12032-493: The park, Green accelerated construction, though having little experience in architecture. He implemented a style of micromanagement , keeping records of the smallest transactions in an effort to reduce costs. Green finalized the negotiations to purchase the northernmost 65 acres (26 ha) of the park which was later converted into a "rugged" woodland and the Harlem Meer waterway. When the American Civil War began in 1861,

12160-542: The park. Between 1821 and 1855, New York City's population nearly quadrupled. As the city expanded northward up Manhattan , people were drawn to the few existing open spaces, mainly cemeteries, for passive recreation. These were seen as escapes from the noise and chaotic life in the city, which at the time was almost entirely centered on Lower Manhattan . The Commissioners' Plan of 1811 , the outline for Manhattan's modern street grid, included several smaller open spaces but not Central Park. As such, John Randel Jr. had surveyed

12288-498: The parks commissioner and the Conservancy's president. The Central Park Conservancy was founded in 1980 as a nonprofit organization with a citizen board to assist with the city's initiatives to clean up and rehabilitate the park. The Conservancy took over the park's management duties from NYC Parks in 1998, though NYC Parks retained ownership of Central Park. The conservancy provides maintenance support and staff training programs for other public parks in New York City, and has assisted with

12416-420: The past three years and 95 per cent expect their funding will continue to reduce". Parks can be divided into active and passive recreation areas. Active recreation is that which has an urban character and requires intensive development. It often involves cooperative or team activity, including playgrounds , ball fields, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and skateparks . Active recreation such as team sports, due to

12544-474: The planning and construction process. Though Viele had already devised a plan for the park, the commissioners disregarded it and retained him to complete only the topographical surveys. The Central Park Commission began hosting a landscape design contest shortly after its creation. The commission specified that each entry contain extremely detailed specifications, as mandated by the consulting board. Thirty-three firms or organizations submitted plans. In April 1858,

12672-496: The play equipment—opened near its southern end in 1926, and quickly became popular with poor immigrant families. The following year, Mayor Jimmy Walker commissioned landscape designer Hermann W. Merkel to create a plan to improve Central Park. Merkel's plans would combat vandalism and plant destruction, rehabilitate paths, and add eight new playgrounds, at a cost of $ 1 million. One of the suggested modifications, underground irrigation pipes, were installed soon after Merkel's report

12800-452: The principal influences on Olmsted and Calvert's design for New York's Central Park of 1857. Another early public park, the Peel Park, Salford , England, opened on 22 August 1846. Boston Common was purchased for public use grazing cows and as a military parade ground and dump in 1634. It first started to get recreational elements in 1728, arguably making it the first municipal park in

12928-594: The project in November 1870. After Tweed's embezzlement was publicly revealed in 1871, leading to his imprisonment, Olmsted and Vaux were re-hired, and the Central Park Commission appointed new members who were mostly in favor of Olmsted. One of the areas that remained relatively untouched was the underdeveloped western side of Central Park, though some large structures would be erected in the park's remaining empty plots. By 1872, Manhattan Square had been reserved for

13056-435: The public in late 1858. Additional land at the northern end of Central Park was purchased in 1859, and the park was completed in 1876. After a period of decline in the early 20th century, New York City parks commissioner Robert Moses started a program to clean up Central Park in the 1930s. The Central Park Conservancy , created in 1980 to combat further deterioration in the late 20th century, refurbished many parts of

13184-410: The public.) and some EU states that have mostly recreation grounds for kids to play within a park, but may also have a duck pond, large grassy zones not meant exclusively for sports, many trees, and several bushy places. When it occurs as a separate facility on its own, without any parkland, at a street corner or by a shop, the play facility is called a playground . Harlem Meer Harlem Meer

13312-520: The reservoir to the north and the Lake and Conservatory Water to the south; and "South End" below the Lake and Conservatory Water. The park has five visitor centers: Charles A. Dana Discovery Center , Belvedere Castle , Chess & Checkers House, the Dairy , and Columbus Circle . The park has been described as the first landscaped park in the United States. It has natural-looking plantings and landforms , having been almost entirely landscaped when built in

13440-414: The reservoir's north gatehouse via a 48" underground conduit to a small grotto at the western park boundary near 102nd street, and made to look like a natural spring. The reconstructed stream was embellished with several new features: Creation of the new lake required not only the excavation of 109,500 cubic yards of "earth, sand, and gravel," but also the introduction of 98,600 cubic yards of fill to raise

13568-419: The safety of ice-skaters. In its Ninth Annual Report, published in 1866, the park's Board of Commissioners included the following in the list of work completed during the year 1865: "...the excavation of the basin for the larger sheet of water, known as the Harlem Lake, the construction of its banks and dam, and the preparation of the ground to retain the water." In their Tenth Annual Report, published in 1867,

13696-478: The same degree of power, nor did NYC Parks remain in as stable a position in the aftermath of his departure. Eight commissioners held the office in the twenty years following his departure. The city experienced economic and social changes, with some residents moving to the suburbs. Interest in Central Park's landscape had long since declined, and it was now mostly being used for recreation. Several unrealized additions were proposed for Central Park in that decade, such as

13824-577: The sewer system and buried beneath land development, whereas the part inside the park was connected (as was the rest of the park) to the Croton Aqueduct water distribution system. Some of the water for the new stream came from the drainage system of the North Meadow, but most came from the overflow of the newly completed Upper Reservoir (now the Central Park Reservoir) which was diverted from

13952-399: The shore level to the newly established grades of Fifth Avenue and 110th Street, and to level the eastern portion of the lake bed. Engineer Grant formed the lake bed with a 12" thick clay liner protected by a 6" layer of sand. At the lake's outlet, Grant installed a weir to regulate the water level: 5 feet deep in summer to discourage weeds from growing, but lowered to 3-1/2 feet in winter for

14080-467: The site of McGowan's Pass , then descending further to the future site of the lake, where it crossed the rivulet, then exited the future park (near what is now 110th Street and Lenox Avenue) before continuing on to King's Bridge and points north. The hills to the south and west of Harlem Meer were once the site of a series of connected military fortifications, erected during the War of 1812 in anticipation of

14208-479: The soil in the park was unnecessary. A succession of Tammany-affiliated Democratic mayors were indifferent toward Central Park. Several park advocacy groups were formed in the early 20th century. To preserve the park's character, the citywide Parks and Playground Association, and a consortium of multiple Central Park civic groups operating under the Parks Conservation Association, were formed in

14336-403: The stream feeding into the Meer to flow visibly above ground for the first time since it was buried in a conduit when the Lasker Rink was built. In November 2024, it was announced that the new recreation center would be known as Davis Center at the Harlem Meer and that it would open in 2025. Catch-and-release fishing along the Meer's banks is a favorite activity for some park visitors. Besides

14464-517: The suburb of Harlem to the north from the southern part of Manhattan island. To avoid the marsh, the Boston Post Road (known in New York as the Eastern Post Road) diverged to the northwest, entering the future park (near what is now Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street), climbing up to McGowan's tavern (at the 105th Street line), then descending to the gap where once stood the blockhouse marking

14592-511: The tectonic plates began to merge to form the supercontinent Pangaea . Cameron's Line , a fault zone that traverses Central Park on an east–west axis, divides the outcroppings of Hartland schist to the south and Manhattan schist to the north. Various glaciers have covered the area of Central Park in the past, with the most recent being the Wisconsin glacier which receded about 12,000 years ago. Evidence of past glaciers can be seen throughout

14720-407: The time, Manhattan's seventeen squares comprised a combined 165 acres (67 ha) of land, the largest of which was the 10-acre (4 ha) Battery Park at Manhattan island's southern tip. These plans were endorsed in 1844 by New York Evening Post editor William Cullen Bryant , and in 1851 by Andrew Jackson Downing , one of the first American landscape designers. Mayor Ambrose Kingsland , in

14848-608: The wealthy could ride horses on bridle paths or travel in horse-drawn carriages, almost everyone was able to participate in sports such as ice-skating or rowing, or listen to concerts at the Mall's bandstand. Olmsted and Vaux were re-hired in mid-1865. Several structures were erected, including the Children's District, the Ballplayers House , and the Dairy in the southern part of Central Park. Construction commenced on Belvedere Castle, Harlem Meer, and structures on Conservatory Water and

14976-485: The wealthy. In The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1982), Professor Galen Cranz identifies four phases of park design in the U.S. In the late 19th century, city governments purchased large tracts of land on the outskirts of cities to form "pleasure grounds": semi-open, charmingly landscaped areas whose primary purpose was to allow city residents, especially

15104-543: The work of unskilled laborers. In total, over 20,000 individuals helped construct Central Park. Because of extreme precautions taken to minimize collateral damage, five laborers died during the project, at a time when fatality rates were generally much higher. During the development of Central Park, Superintendent Olmsted hired several dozen mounted police officers, who were classified into two types of "keepers": park keepers and gate keepers. The mounted police were viewed favorably by park patrons and were later incorporated into

15232-484: The workers, to relax in nature. As time passed and the urban area grew around the parks, land in these parks was used for other purposes, such as zoos, golf courses and museums. These parks continue to draw visitors from around the region and are considered regional parks , because they require a higher level of management than smaller local parks. According to the Trust for Public Land , the three most visited municipal parks in

15360-524: The world are joining together to support local parks that have suffered from urban decay and government neglect. A linear park is a park that has a much greater length than width. A typical example of a linear park is a section of a former railway that has been converted into a park called a rail trail or greenway (i.e. the tracks removed, vegetation allowed to grow back). Some examples of linear parks in North America include New York's High Line and

15488-507: Was approved by the Public Design Commission on March 30, 2020, and was scheduled to be completed in 2024. As part of the plan, the existing facility at the southwest end of the rink was demolished to be replaced by a new structure at the southeast side, between the rink and East Drive, built partly underground. A new rink and pool will be built on the site of the old one, but will be smaller on its southeast–northwest axis, allowing

15616-408: Was established, wherein more workers would be hired and paid at higher rates during the summers. For several months, the park commissioners faced funding issues, and a dedicated workforce and funding stream was not secured until June 1858. The landscaped Upper Reservoir was the only part of the park that the commissioners were not responsible for constructing; instead, the Reservoir would be built by

15744-525: Was of secondary importance. As urban land prices climbed, new urban parks in the 1960s and after have been mainly pocket parks . One example of a pocket park is Chess Park in Glendale, California. The American Society of Landscape Architects gave this park a General Design Award of Honor in 2006. These small parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and often a playground for children. All four types of park continue to exist in urban areas. Because of

15872-404: Was reduced to approximately 11 acres (45,000 m ) in area and approximately 0.75 miles (1.21 km) in circumference. Harlem Meer was constructed at the confluence of three streams: first, Harlem Creek flowing from the north, just west of Fifth Avenue; second, an unnamed stream flowing from the west along what would become 110th Street; and third, Montayne's Rivulet , a stream flowing down

16000-537: Was rented out to the Batthyány family to carry out such a project but the city had eventually taken back control and in 1813 announced a design competition to finally finish the park; works started in 1816. An early purpose-built public park, although financed privately, was Princes Park in the Liverpool suburb of Toxteth . This was laid out to the designs of Joseph Paxton from 1842 and opened in 1843. The land on which

16128-570: Was responsible for the overall plan, while Vaux designed some of the finer details. Mould, who worked frequently with Vaux, designed the Central Park Esplanade and the Tavern on the Green building. Pilat was the park's chief landscape architect, whose primary responsibility was the importation and placement of plants within the park. A "corps" of construction engineers and foremen, managed by superintending engineer William H. Grant, were tasked with

16256-487: Was submitted. The other improvements outlined in the report, such as fences to mitigate plant destruction, were postponed due to the Great Depression . In 1934, Republican Fiorello La Guardia was elected mayor of New York City . He unified the five park-related departments then in existence. Newly appointed city parks commissioner Robert Moses was given the task of cleaning up the park, and he summarily fired many of

16384-524: Was used to clear the area than was used at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War . More than 18,500 cubic yards (14,100 m) of topsoil were transported from Long Island and New Jersey , because the original soil was neither fertile nor sufficiently substantial to sustain the flora specified in the Greensward Plan. Modern steam-powered equipment and custom tree-moving machines augmented

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