Central Park

January 26, 2022

Landmarks approves design for $77M renovation of Delacorte Theater in Central Park

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved plans for the revitalization of Central Park's Delacorte Theater, the city's first major post-pandemic outdoor theater investment. The new design's main goals are to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, protect the building from the ravages of a changing climate, and improve efficiency and comfort.
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January 5, 2022

How New York keeps its cool: A history of ice skating in NYC

While we haven't had much snow yet this year, New York is already a winter wonderland thanks to the many ice skating rinks found across the city. If you choose to glide through the season on ice, taking a spin anywhere from Central Park to Coney Island, you’re sliding into a New York winter tradition that includes the nation’s first organized ice rink, a decade of “Icetravaganzas” that drew millions, a glittery trend of hotel ice gardens throughout Midtown, and even a relationship to the origins of baseball. So lace up, and read on for a history of ice-skating in New York City.
Glide into this story!
December 9, 2021

15 holiday trees in NYC that are not at Rockefeller Center

The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center may be the most popular conifer in New York City, with 125 million people visiting the tree each year, but it certainly is not the only one. Every holiday season, spruces adorned with colorful lights and ornaments pop up across the five boroughs. The city’s many holiday trees each offer a unique take on the tradition, which began in NYC in 1912 when the first public Christmas tree was erected in Madison Square Park. For those looking to skip the Midtown crowds this year, we’ve rounded up 15 of the best holiday trees, from the origami tree at the American Museum of Natural History to the flotilla of trees in Central Park’s Harlem Meer.
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August 11, 2021

Central Park’s famous carousel will reopen with Coney Island’s Luna Park as operator

One of the country's most popular carousels will soon spin again. Central Park's Friedsam Memorial Carousel will reopen to riders this fall after being closed since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As first reported by amNY, the operators of Coney Island's Luna Park, Central Amusement International, will operate the merry-go-round, replacing the Trump Organization, which had its contracts with the city canceled earlier this year after the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Details here
August 4, 2021

The history of Central Park’s Hooverville, the Great Depression shanty town

Following the October stock market crash of 1929, there was an unprecedented number of people in the U.S. without homes or jobs. And as the Great Depression set in, demand grew and the overflow became far too overwhelming and unmanageable for government resources to manage. Homeless people in large cities began to build their own houses out of found materials, and some even built more permanent structures from brick. Small shanty towns—later named Hoovervilles after President Hoover—began to spring up in vacant lots, public land and empty alleys. Three of these pop-up villages were located in New York City, the largest of which was on what is now Central Park's Great Lawn.
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July 27, 2021

Andrea Bocelli, The Killers, Wyclef Jean & a dozen more stars to perform at Central Park concert

More than a dozen iconic musicians will take the stage in Central Park next month as part of a mega-concert celebrating the city's recovery from the coronavirus. Announced on Tuesday, the lineup for the concert, dubbed "WE LOVE NYC: The Homecoming Concert," includes major stars like Andrea Bocelli, Wyclef Jean, Barry Manilow, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jennifer Hudson, The Killers, LL COOL J, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Rob Thomas, and more.
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July 7, 2021

NYC replaces Trump Organization as operator of Central Park’s Wollman Rink

A joint venture made up of businesses and some nonprofit groups will run Central Park's Wollman Rink, officially replacing the Trump Organization as the operator, the city's Parks Department announced on Tuesday. Earlier this year, the agency issued requests for proposals to operate and manage Wollman Rink and the Central Park Carousel, both of which were formerly run by President Donald Trump's company. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would terminate any agreements with the organization following the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
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July 1, 2021

Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, & Jennifer Hudson to headline Central Park ‘mega-concert’ this summer

Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and Jennifer Hudson will headline the massive concert happening this August in Central Park, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday. Last month, the mayor said he asked music producer and Brooklyn native Clive Davis to put together the concert, marketed as a celebration of New York's comeback following the pandemic. The full lineup of performers will be announced in the coming weeks, but de Blasio said the event will be "one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history."
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April 13, 2021

20 underground and secret NYC attractions you need to check out

While visiting the major, most popular attractions of New York City can be fun, it can also be stressful, overwhelming and full of selfie-taking tourists. However, the great thing about the Big Apple is that plenty of other attractions exist that are far less known or even hidden in plain sight. To go beyond the tourist-filled sites and tour the city like you're seeing it for the very first time, check out 6sqft's list ahead of the 20 best underground, secret spots in New York City.
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March 22, 2021

Where to find New York City’s secret waterfalls

New York state is home to many spectacular waterfalls that are worthy of any bucket list, but if you know where to look, there are a surprising number of waterfalls to discover right here in the concrete jungle of New York City. They're not all "secrets," but they do tend to exist well off the beaten path, tucked into the more remote parts of Central Park or in small Midtown plazas. Once you've found one, you'll likely have a new favorite spot perfect for escaping the city's unrelenting noise—if only for a short while.
Drown out the city at one of these 6 spots
March 16, 2021

Shakespeare in the Park will return to NYC this summer

Bringing some much-needed sunshine on this dreary March day, the Public Theater on Tuesday announced plans to bring back its free Shakespeare in the Park program this summer. As first reported by the New York Times, the Theater is preparing to present just one production at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park for an eight-week run beginning in July. The news comes after Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this month announced live performances and events could resume in New York as early as April 2.
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February 22, 2021

Trump-operated ice rinks in Central Park to stay open for rest of season

Two ice rinks in Central Park that are operated by the Trump Organization will now remain open for the rest of the season instead of shuttering early as originally planned. The Trump Organization announced it would close Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink on Sunday after city officials requested the company cease operations on February 26, ahead of the contract's April expiration. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the termination of the agreements with former President Donald Trump's company for the ice rinks and two other city concessions following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. In a reversal, the city on Sunday said the rinks can stay open for the remainder of the season.
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February 5, 2021

NYC seeks new operators for Central Park ice rink and carousel after canceling Trump contracts

New York City on Friday issued two requests for proposals to operate an ice rink and carousel in Central Park formerly run by the Trump Organization. Following the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would terminate agreements with former President Donald Trump's company for the operation of the Wollman and Lasker Rinks, the Central Park Carousel, and the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point. The city's Parks Department this week announced it is looking for new companies to operate and manage the Wollman Rink and the Carousel.
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August 26, 2020

Central Park’s first statue of historical women unveiled

The "bronze ceiling" has officially been broken in New York City's most famous park. A new statue depicting women's rights activists Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton was unveiled in Central Park on Wednesday, becoming the park's first monument of real-life women. The new statue comes on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted some women the right to vote.
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August 20, 2020

Tour Central Park with this free virtual guide

Exploring the 840+ acres of Central Park and all of its historic sites just got easier, thanks to a free new digital guide. The Central Park Conservancy this week launched a new guide to the park on the Bloomberg Connects app. Although official tours and programs are on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, green space lovers can still learn about the park's natural habitats, historic statues, and landmarked structures through photos, audio clips, and video, easily accessed from their smartphones.
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August 13, 2020

Brooklyn-based farmer proposes turning parts of Central Park into a community farm

A farmer based in Brooklyn has come up with an idea that not only honors a historic black community but also gives back to present ones. Amber Tamm, a horticulturist and urban farmer who works at the Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm, told Fast Company about her proposal to convert 14 acres of Central Park into a farm that would feed Manhattanites in need.
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May 15, 2020

NYC will limit access to Central Park’s Sheep Meadow this weekend

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday said police will limit access to parts of some parks, as well as deploy additional Parks Department officials to patrol city beaches this weekend, with temperatures expected to be in the 70s. The NYPD will restrict the number of people allowed to enter the Sheep Meadow lawn in Central Park to avoid overcrowding and curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. And police will again limit access to Piers 45 and 46 at Hudson River Park in the West Village and monitor crowds at Domino Park in Williamsburg for the second weekend in a row.
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April 20, 2020

7 things you didn’t know about Central Park

Although it's one of the most visited city parks in the world, Central Park is chock-full of hidden spots and historic treasures that even native New Yorkers don't know about. Designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the 840-acre park has served as an oasis for city dwellers for over 150 years. Ahead, learn about some of Central Park's lesser-known sites, from its waterfalls and whisper bench to a Revolutionary War-era cannon.
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February 19, 2020

Plan to renovate Central Park North rink and pool opposed by local skaters and swimmers

The $150 million plan to build a new pool and ice rink at the northern end of Central Park is facing backlash from local swimmers and skaters. Last September, the Central Park Conservancy revealed a project to replace the aging Lasker Rink and Pool and create space for year-round recreation. But a group of hockey players and swimmers is asking the conservancy to revise its plan, which they claim would reduce the space they can use, eliminating some of the programs offered.
Details here
November 27, 2019

Live between Central Park and Morningside Park in Harlem, from $2,357/month

Located in between two of Manhattan's best green spaces, Morningside Park and Central Park, a new rental has launched a lottery for 32 middle-income apartments. The 13-story building at 251 West 117th Street in Harlem sits behind the former St. Thomas the Apostle Church, which has been restored and converted into a community and performance space. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which include $2,357/month studios, $2,526/month one-bedrooms, and $3,044/month two bedrooms.
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October 24, 2019

Plan to honor historic black settlement Seneca Village with statue in Central Park faces backlash

As part of the city's plan to diversify public art and recognize figures overlooked by history in New York City, Central Park is getting another statue, as the New York Times reports. The privately-funded monument will commemorate Seneca Village, the predominantly black community that was thriving until the 1850s in what became Central Park. Once again, however, the city's commemorative statue planning has fallen afoul of historians. The proposed structure won’t be located at the site of Seneca Village, which for nearly three decades stretched between West 83rd and 89th streets in Central Park. Instead, the monument’s home will be in the park, but 20 blocks to the north on 106th street.
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October 23, 2019

Trump Organization removes president’s name from Central Park ice rinks

As New York City's many ice skating rinks start to open this month for the season, two Central Park arenas will debut a slightly updated look. The Trump Organization has removed President Donald Trump's name from Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink, marking the first time the business has voluntarily distanced itself from its owner, according to the Washington Post. City officials told the newspaper that the president's company informed them about the plan to remove the signage this past summer but provided no reason behind the change.
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October 22, 2019

City approves design for Central Park’s first statue of women

New York City's most famous park will get a new statue honoring women for the first time ever. The city's Public Design Commission on Monday approved a design for a new Central Park monument that depicts women's rights activists, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Set to debut next summer on the 100th-anniversary of the 19th amendment's ratification, the statue's approval comes as the city looks to address the lack of women honored in public spaces. Currently, all 23 historical monuments in Central Park are of men.
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September 18, 2019

REVEALED: $150M renovation of Central Park North includes new pool, skating rink, and more

The north end of Central Park around the Harlem Meer is one of its most beautiful vistas, but because of the large, obtrusive Lasker Rink and Pool, it is currently disconnected from the North Woods below it, as well as the rest of the park. To better connect the area, the Central Park Conservancy and the City of New York today revealed a $150 million project to build a new pool and rink that will bring year-round recreation, as well as integrate into the surrounding landscape and restore lost pedestrian connections.
See all the renderings and plans
August 12, 2019

Apple and the New Museum launch free augmented reality art walks in Central Park

Ready to experience a new dimension of Central Park? Apple has partnered with the New Museum to launch free, guided walks of the Park highlighting a series of site-specific, augmented reality artworks. Artists Nick Cave, Nathalie Djurberg, Hans Berg, Cao Fei, John Giorno, Carsten Höller and Pipilotti Rist—most of whom are working in AR for the first time—were tapped to transform the park into a virtual, interactive gallery of sorts, as part of the experiential project called Apple [AR]T Walk, which kicks off from the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.
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