A VISIT TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOSTTREASURED LANDSCAPES %!%? $>als& (iBuntAanv aml&eofye' ffiuAcvzl (j. WITHMORETHAN140ARCHIVALAND FULL-COLORCONTEMPORARYPHOTOGRAPHS A sprawling oasis set against the breathtaking skyline ofNew York City, Central Park is a man-made masterpiece. Now, CENTRAL PARK: A Visit to One ofthe World's Most TreasuredLandscapespayshomagetotheparkthathasbeenthe centerpieceofNewYorkCityformorethanonehundredyears. In the 1840s, newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant ran a series ofeditorials callingfortheestablishmentof"anextensive pleasure ground for shade and recreation in these sultry afternoons, whichwe might reachwithout goingoutoftown." ChapteroneofCENTRALPARKtellsofthepeoplewhostrove to make the park a reality and ofthetwo men, Frederick Law Olmsted and CalvertVaux, who were the primary visionaries anddesignersofthepark. Chaptertwo, "FightingforthePark,"describestheyearswhen the park became a political hotbed. While citizens' groups ralliedtomovetheparkprojectforward,thecorruptpoliticians inTammanyHallusedtheirinfluencetoslowtheprojectdown and create a park that suited their own short-sighted visions. Meanwhile,OlmstedandVauxbothresignedmorethanoncein frustrationoverthecity'sconstantmeddling. "TheParkSaved,"thesubjectofchapterthree,relatestheevents leading up to the 1979 formation of the Central Park Conservancy and beyond. By the mid-seventies, the park, tended byonelonegardener,was inashambles: thelawnshad been trampled to the extent that grass wouldn't grow in the compacted soil; lampposts had been beheaded and benches had losttheirslats;inmanyareas,soilerosionwasendangeringmuch ofthepark'splantlife;andgraffiticoveredalmosteveryavailable stone or wood surface. In short, the park had become an eyesore. It wasn't until concerned New Yorkers became involved that repairs and rejuvenation began with an influx of city and private money; Sheep Meadow, Wollman Rink, the Victorianloggia,thefountainsatCherryHillandBethesda,and the pond at Fifty-ninth Street all underwent extensive renovation. In CENTRAL PARK, you'll see firsthand howthe parkhasbeenregainingitsformerbeautywitheachrenovation. CENTRAL PARK then takes you on an armchair tourofthe park in chapterfour,whereyou'lldiscoverthe historyofall the sightsthatmaketheparksounique:theArsenal,thecarousel,the zoo,theobelisk,StrawberryFields,andmuchmore. (continuedonbackflap) ^ouis& u. Qou/YiAam/ A VISIT TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST TREASURED LANDSCAPES %imm* ~^^p&j*&r ft ,,H ''^ < i - . \ ' } 1 II ij ,1 i" |U'- CRESCENTBOOKS ~ ? ~-~ « NEWYORK•AVENEL,NEWJERSEY AFRIEDMANGROUPBOOK This1993editionpublishedbyCrescentBooks,distributedby OutletBookCompany,Inc.,aRandomHouseCompany, 40EngelhardAvenue,Avenel,NewJersey07001. Copyright©1993byMichaelFriedmanPublishingGroup,Inc. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybe reproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inany formorbyanymeans,electronic,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher. ISBN0-517-07343-9 CENTRALPARK A VisittoOneoftheWorld'sMostTreasuredLandscapes waspreparedandproducedby MichaelFriedmanPublishingGroup,Inc. 15West26thStreet NewYork,NewYork10010 Editor:KellyMatthews AnDirector:JeffBatzli Designer:JosephRutt PhotographyEditor:AnnePrice TypesetbyClassicType,Inc. PrintedandboundinHongKongbyLeefung-AscoPrintersLtd. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 W EDICATION ThisbookisdedicatedtothetrusteesandstaffoftheCentral Park Conservancyandto allwho sharethe Conservancy's commitmenttoasafe,clean,andbeautifulCentralPark. Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge Marianne Cramer, Sherry Dupres, Ruby Isaacs, Dong Kingman, Jr., Harold Levine, Sara Cedar Miller, Betsy Rogers, Laura Starr, and AnneStetsonfortheirinvaluableassistance. CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 6^ne A PARK FOR NEW YORK CITY Chapter ^wo FIGHTING FOR THE PARK Chapter ^hree THE PARK SAVED