Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Central Park influenced the development of urban parks across the country and is considered a masterpiece of landscape architecture. It is a National Historic Landmark and Scenic Landscape of New York City, receiving 42 million visitors annually.
Taken from Central Park Conservancy
New York City's Central Park is a world-famous public park, established in 1858 to address the recreational needs of the rapidly growing city. Its original purpose was to offer urban dwellers a taste of the countryside, a place to escape the stresses of city life and connect with nature and fellow New Yorkers. More than 150 years later, the park still fulfills this essential purpose, welcoming all visitors while also hosting new forms of recreational activity. With 42 million visits annually, Central Park is one of the most visited urban parks in the country and one of New York City's most popular destinations.
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Central Park influenced the development of urban parks across the country and is considered a masterpiece of landscape architecture. Central Park is a National Historic Landscape (1963) and a New York City Scenic Landscape (1974).
Located in what is now Midtown Manhattan, the site was far removed from the city's urbanized areas when park planning began in the 1850s. Sparsely populated, it contained small farms, industrial uses, and dwellings scattered among marshland and rocky hills. The most densely populated section of the site was a settlement known as Seneca Village, a significant predominantly African American community, many of whose residents were property owners. Approximately 225 of the 1,600 residents who lived on the land were displaced through the eminent domain process in Seneca Village.
Olmsted and Vaux designed Central Park to incorporate a variety of landscapes and experiences. Its 843 acres included expansive meadows, picturesque woodlands, meandering streams, and wide lakes, all experienced by moving through the park along winding paths, a carriage road, and a bridleway. Over time, additional features were added to the park, including baseball and football fields, a carousel, two skating rinks, a zoo, formal gardens, memorials, and venues for concerts and theater.
In addition to diverse recreational experiences, Central Park provides significant ecological and environmental benefits to the city. Its more than 18,000 trees cool and clean the air, and its vast area in the heart of the city provides a habitat for wildlife, including serving as a stopover on the Atlantic flyway for more than 200 species of birds.
Throughout the park's history, pressures to add new features or use it for large events and non-recreational purposes have threatened its purpose as a bucolic retreat from urban life. The park has also suffered during periods of economic decline, neglect, and mismanagement. In response, New Yorkers have continually fought to preserve it and defend its original purpose. After the most recent and extreme period of deterioration, which began in the 1960s, a group of these citizens formed the Central Park Conservancy to rebuild and restore the park in partnership with the city.
