Central Park

This Saturday, July 20, will mark 50 years since Neil Armstrong made one giant leap for mankind and set foot on the lunar surface. On Earth, hundreds of millions of people held a collective worldwide breath, then let out an ecstatic whoop of awe and excitement as man met moon. Earthlings around the globe may have wished to be aboard Apollo 11, but New Yorkers knew at least one thing for sure: If they couldn’t go to the moon, they could definitely dress up as the moon, head to Central Park, and witness the out-of-this-world walk from any of three 9’ X 12’ screens, offering coverage from NBC, CBS, and ABC. So began the greatest watch party in New York’s history. Roughly 8,000 New Yorkers, dressed all in white, sprawled across the Sheep Meadow for a blowout celestial-celebration known as The Moon-In.
See more photos and learn all about the event

History

First-ever squirrel census finds 2,300+ squirrels call Central Park home

A Central Park squirrel, via Wiki Commons

June 28, 2019

First-ever squirrel census finds 2,300+ squirrels call Central Park home

Last October, as 6sqft reported, an organization called Squirrel Census, headed by Jamie Allen, began the multimedia, science, design, and storytelling endeavor of figuring out how many squirrels–specifically eastern gray squirrels–call the 843 acres of Central Park home, and put out a call for critter-counting volunteers. Though attempting to fathom the magnitude of the park's squirrelscape began with some curiosity and a bit of tongue in cheek, according to Citylab, the methods used to tally the cheeky rodents–and the resulting findings–are as fun as they are fascinating.
More than just a head count

City Living

The restored Belvedere at night, courtesy of the Central Park Conservancy

June 28, 2019

New lighting adds after-dark glamour to Central Park’s restored Belvedere Castle

As 6sqft reported, Central Park's Belvedere Castle is open to the public today after a comprehensive $12 million restoration effort. In addition to a restored facade, new clear-pane-glass windows, new mechanical and utility systems and a the re-creation of the wooden tower that was part of Olmsted and Vaux’s original design, the Central Park Conservancy has introduced nighttime lighting. As night falls, the Belvedere will be illuminated and visible from various locations in the park–most strikingly from across Turtle Pond.
Tips for visiting, this way

Central Park’s Belvedere Castle reveals $12M restoration

The restored Belvedere, courtesy of the Central Park Conservancy

June 18, 2019

Central Park’s Belvedere Castle reveals $12M restoration

After a 15-month, $12 million restoration and repair project, the Belvedere will reopen to the public on Friday, June 28th. In anticipation, the Central Park Conservancy today opened the historic structure to press, revealing its restored facade, expansive views through new clear-pane-glass windows, new mechanical and utility systems, and a recreation of a wooden tower that was part of Olmsted and Vaux's original plan 150 years ago. Though many New Yorkers refer to the site as Belvedere Castle, "Belvedere" actually means “beautiful view” in Italian and refers to the vistas from the second-highest point in Central Park. Belvedere receives approximately one million visitors each year, and starting this month, they will also be able to see the Castle illuminated at night, as the landmark will be lit for the first time ever.
See more right here

May 30, 2019

See inside Central Park’s revamped SummerStage venue

This summer marks the 33rd SummerStage to take place in Central Park, but this year, NYC's largest, free outdoor performing arts festival has a completely revamped and reconceptualized venue to the tune of $5.5 million. The event, hosted by the City Parks Foundation, is comprised of 100 performances in 17 neighborhood parks throughout the city, but the flagship venue in Central Park is certainly the headliner. After 20 years, the 5,500-person space has a new stage with 20 percent more capacity and updated technology, along with a new circulation pattern meant to enhance the guest experience, new member and VIP viewing platforms, new concession areas, and more.
Go behind the scenes before the venue opens this weekend

Architecture And Design

Uncovering Central Park: Looking back at the original designs for ‘New York’s greatest treasure’

All of the images in this post are included in “The Central Park: Original Designs for New York’s Greatest Treasure,” and are courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives.

April 30, 2019

Uncovering Central Park: Looking back at the original designs for ‘New York’s greatest treasure’

There are few things as beautiful as a sunset in Central Park, standing beside the reservoir at 90th Street, looking west, and watching the sun sink behind the San Remo then glitter through the trees on the park's horizon, and finally melt into the water, its colors unspooling there like ink. That view, one of so many available in the park, can be credited to the meticulous planning by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, whose extraordinary vision made Central Park one of the finest urban oases on earth. "The Central Park: Original Designs for New York's Greatest Treasure," a new book by Cynthia S. Brenwall, out now from the NYC Department of Records, offers a closer look at that lanning process than ever before. Using more than 250 color photos, maps, plans, elevations, and designs -- many published here for the very first time -- the book chronicles the park's creation, from conception to completion, and reveals the striking "completeness" of Olmsted and Vaux's vision. "There was literally no detail too small to be considered," Brenwall says. You'll see the earliest sketches of familiar structures, and check out plans for unbuilt amenities (including a Paleozoic Museum!) 6sqft caught up with Brenwall to find out how the book came together, hear what it was like to cull through those incredible documents and snag a few secrets of Central Park.
READ MORE

Find your favorite spring blooms in Central Park with a map and interactive guide

Background image: Shinya Suzuki via Flickr

March 20, 2019

Find your favorite spring blooms in Central Park with a map and interactive guide

Spring is officially here, and there's no better place to confirm the good news than Central Park, where the season brings a burst of color to every corner of the park's 840 acres. Warmer weather brings beautiful blooms and a flurry of activities and events along with photogenic landscapes. The park's Spring Guide has all you need to know about the park's prettiest places to visit; a handy map points out where the blooms are, and you can search for your favorites and learn more about them. There are also events for families, Conservancy members and the general public that will help you make the best of the season's beauty.
Where the blooms are, this way

From natural history museum to municipal weather bureau: The many lives of Central Park’s Arsenal

The Arsenal c. 1914, via Library of Congress

February 28, 2019

From natural history museum to municipal weather bureau: The many lives of Central Park’s Arsenal

New York City boasts more than 1,700 parks, playgrounds, and recreational facilities covering upwards of 14 percent of the land across all five boroughs. This sprawling network of greenery falls under the jurisdiction of the NYC Parks Department. Once the storied provenance of Robert Moses, the Department functions today under the less-Machiavellian machinations of Mitchell Silver. Though no longer the fiefdom it once was, Parks still operates out of a medieval fortress known as the Arsenal, a commanding bulwark stationed in Central Park at 5th Avenue and 64th Street. The Arsenal also houses the Arsenal Gallery, the City Parks Foundation, the Historic House Trust, and the New York Wildlife Conservation Society. This wide array of agencies reflects the varied legacy of building itself. Since construction began on the Arsenal 1847 (completed 1851), it has served a stunning array of purposes, from police station to menagerie to weather bureau. The Arsenal has had time to live so many lives: it is one of just two buildings in Central Park that predate the park itself, which was established in 1857.
Hear more history of this historic headquarters!

History

In 19th century NYC, sleigh carnivals took over parks on snowy days

Image: NYPL

January 29, 2019

In 19th century NYC, sleigh carnivals took over parks on snowy days

Ephemeral New York brings us a particularly charming example of how New Yorkers found a reason to socialize even in frozen conditions two centuries ago. Sleigh carnivals turned out scores of joyriding city folk who wanted to show off their new super-light rides. James Stuart wrote in his 1833 UK travel memoir, "Three Years in North America," that after a heavy January snow, “the New York carnival began, and the beautiful light-looking sleighs made their appearance. Even the most delicate females of New York think an evening drive, of 10 or 20 miles, even in the hardest frost, conducive to their amusement and health.”
Sleigh bells ring

History

Is the first statue of a woman in Central Park a racist representation or a good start?

The official design of the first statue of non-fictional women in Central Park was unveiled last summer. The statue, a sculpture of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, is set to be dedicated on August 18, 2020, marking the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote nationwide. Terrific, right? Not completely. Because, as the New York Times informs us, some women’s rights advocates feel the statue doesn’t show the whole story. One complaint: Stanton and Anthony were white. Included in the statue's design, a list of women who aided in the cause contains a significant number of African-American women. Why weren’t any of them chosen to be the face of women’s contributions to social equality?
Gloria Steinem weighs in, this way

Court order stalls progress on De Blasio’s new horse carriage rules

A carriage near Central Park South, amongst traffic, via Flickr cc

January 9, 2019

Court order stalls progress on De Blasio’s new horse carriage rules

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur F. Engoron ordered Tuesday that Mayor De Blasio can't “take any action or inaction that would interfere” with the horse carriages operating in Central Park until a subsequent court order is issued, according to the New York Daily News. The court order is the result of a complaint filed in October by horse carriage hack Giovanni Paliotta, whose attorney says the process was being done in the wrong order: New rules regarding the carriages should come from the City Council rather than the mayor, and legislation should be passed.
Find out more

City Living

Billy goats and beer: When Central Park held goat beauty pageants

Goat carriages in Central Park via Library of Congress

December 13, 2018

Billy goats and beer: When Central Park held goat beauty pageants

1930s New York brought us many things: Superman, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Joe DiMaggio, and, of course, goat beauty pageants in Central Park. Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the Brewer’s Board of Trade was eager to revive the springtime tradition of Bock Beer festivals and put out an appeal for the most gorgeous goats in Gotham. The goats would go horn to horn in beauty pageants in Central Park to claim the title of “Mr. Manhattan,” and the right to return to the park for regional competitions to determine which beautiful Billy Goat would be “Mr. Bock Beer,” the brewer’s mascot, and the face of ubiquitous bock beer advertisements.
Get more Goats here!

History

December 6, 2018

Central Park releases access map for people with limited mobility

A new map from the Central Park Conservancy includes lots of new information about the park's playgrounds, trails, restrooms, entertainment areas and other spaces that decodes the park for people with disabilities and/or limited mobility. Helpful information includes information on park terrain, letting visitors know how steep various trails are, and where there are stairs or other potential obstacles.
Full map, this way

Uncategorized

See Central Park reimagined after being devastated by a fictional eco-terrorist attack

Mannahatta Plateau for Frederick Law Olmsted via John Beckmann, Hannah LaSota, Laeticia Hervy

November 28, 2018

See Central Park reimagined after being devastated by a fictional eco-terrorist attack

The University of Pennsylvania announced this week five winners of its ICONOCLAST competition, a design contest that asked participants to reimagine Central Park following a hypothetical eco-terrorist attack (h/t NY Times). The contest attracted 382 entries from 30 countries, all competing for $20,000 and the chance to be published in LA+ Journal. Richard Weller, a jury chair for the contest, said, "From megastructures to new ecologies and radical ideas for democratizing public space, the LA+ICONOCLAST winning entries can move beyond the status quo of picturesque large parks and embrace the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century." Ahead, check out the designs of a recreated 21st-century Central Park from the five finalists.
See the designs

Architecture And Design

SummerStage in Central Park will get a revamp and new stage for the 2019 season

Rendering of the new, improved Central Park SummerStage; image courtesy of City Parks Foundation.

November 7, 2018

SummerStage in Central Park will get a revamp and new stage for the 2019 season

CityParks SummerStage is New York City’s largest free outdoor performing arts festival, with 100 performances happening annually in neighborhood parks around the city as well as in Central Park from May-October–the majority of which are free of charge. In 2019, City Parks Foundation's flagship SummerStage venue in Central Park will be getting a new stage, new sound system, more lighting, upgraded backstage areas, raised seating and an overall improved concert-going experience.
See more of what's to come next summer

City Living

Bjarke Ingels tapped to design $110M upgrade for Central Park’s Delacorte Theater

Via gigi_nyc on Flickr

November 1, 2018

Bjarke Ingels tapped to design $110M upgrade for Central Park’s Delacorte Theater

Central Park's beloved Delacorte Theater will get its first major renovation since it was constructed over 50 years ago, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. The Public Theater announced it has tapped architect Bjarke Ingels' firm BIG to design a $110 million upgrade for the open-air theater, home to the free productions of Shakespeare in the Park. Kicking off in 2020, the project aims to reorganize the theater's space, improve its resiliency, and make it overall more safe and efficient.
More here

Architecture And Design

Stopped in its tracks: The fight against the subway through Central Park

Photo by Phil Roeder / Flickr

November 1, 2018

Stopped in its tracks: The fight against the subway through Central Park

In 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio closed all of Central Park’s scenic drives to cars, finishing a process he began in 2015 when he banned vehicles north of 72nd Street. But not all mayors have been so keen on keeping Central Park transit free. In fact, in 1920, Mayor John Hylan had plans to run a subway through Central Park. Hylan, the 96th Mayor of New York City, in office from 1918 to 1925, had a one-track mind, and that track was for trains. He had spent his life in locomotives, first laying rails for the Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad (later the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, or BRT), then rising through the ranks to become a conductor. In that capacity, he was involved in a near-accident that almost flattened his supervisor, whereupon he was fired from the BRT. Nevertheless, Hylan made transit his political mission, implementing the city's first Independent subway line and proposing that it run from 59th Street up through Central Park to 110th Street.
So, what happened?

Central Park ‘Squirrel Census’ needs your help counting rodents

A Central Park squirrel, via Wiki Commons

October 3, 2018

Central Park ‘Squirrel Census’ needs your help counting rodents

"You will see [the park] through the eyes of the squirrel and you will learn the personalities of the Central Park squirrels," said Jamie Allen, creator of the Squirrel Census, to amNY. The multimedia science, design, and storytelling project has set its sites on Central Park and is recruiting volunteers to count just how many of the furry rodents, specifically the Eastern gray squirrel, call the park home. Why, you may ask? Because "determining the squirrel density of a park is a way to understand the health of that green space."
Get cracking

City Living

Where to find fall foliage in Central Park

Photo via Flickr cc

September 28, 2018

Where to find fall foliage in Central Park

You don't have to go upstate to experience the magic of fall foliage--right here in Central Park, there are 20,000 trees, many of which "transform into golden shades of yellow, orange, red, and more." Which is why the Central Park Conservancy has released its 2018 Fall Guide, complete with a map of the best spots to catch the autumnal bliss, as well as a list of upcoming fall tours.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

To live across from Central Park, you’ll pay 25% more than every bordering neighborhood

Via Wikimedia

September 25, 2018

To live across from Central Park, you’ll pay 25% more than every bordering neighborhood

To make Central Park your front yard, you'll have to fork over $277,000 more than the median sale price of every bordering neighborhood. A new report by Property Shark looks at just how much more New Yorkers are willing to spend to be near the 843-acre oasis, a real estate trend which the group calls the "Central Park effect." According to the analysis, the median sale price of units along the first row of blocks across the park was 25 percent more expensive than that of every nearby area. And in the priciest section, the Upper East Side's Lenox Hill, that rose to a 93 percent difference.
More on the Central Park effect

Real Estate Trends

Central Park’s horse-drawn carriages are getting ‘designated boarding areas’

A carriage near Central Park South, amongst traffic, via Flickr cc

August 30, 2018

Central Park’s horse-drawn carriages are getting ‘designated boarding areas’

In an effort to "reduce the amount of time that horses spend alongside vehicular traffic... thereby promoting the safety and well-being of the horses," the de Blasio administration announced today that Central Park's well-known (and equally notorious) horse-drawn carriages will only be able to pick up and drop off passengers at designated boarding areas within the park. But for many groups, this will not be enough to improve conditions for the horses.
All the info

City Living

An archive of 24,000 documents from Frederick Law Olmsted’s life and work is now available online

Early designs for Central Park. Image courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site.

August 1, 2018

An archive of 24,000 documents from Frederick Law Olmsted’s life and work is now available online

When thinking of influential creators of New York City’s most memorable places, it’s hard not to imagine Frederick Law Olmsted near the top of the list. Considered to be the founder of landscape architecture–he was also a writer and conservationist–Olmsted was committed to the restorative effects of natural spaces in the city. Perhaps best known for the wild beauty of Central and Prospect Parks, his vast influence includes scores of projects such as the Biltmore estate, the U.S. Capitol grounds and the Chicago World’s Fair. In preparation for the bicentennial of Olmsted’s 1822 birth, the Library of Congress has made 24,000 documents providing details of Olmsted’s life available online, Smithsonian reports. The collection includes journals, personal correspondence, project proposals and other documents that offer an intimate picture of Olmsted’s private life and work. The collection is linked to an interactive map at Olmsted Online showing all Olmsted projects in the United States (and there are many). You can search the map according to project name, location, job number and project type.
Explore the documents and map

Design unveiled for Central Park’s first statue dedicated to real women

Photo by Tia Richards for 6sqft

July 20, 2018

Design unveiled for Central Park’s first statue dedicated to real women

Coinciding with the 170th Anniversary of the Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention, members of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund unveiled on Thursday the official design of the first statue of non-fictional women in Central Park. Designed by Meredith Bergmann, the sculpture includes both legible text and a writing scroll that represents the arguments that both women -- and their fellow suffragists -- fought for. There is also a digital scroll, which will be available online, where visitors are encouraged to join the ongoing conversation. The sculpture of Stanton and Anthony will be dedicated in Central Park on August 18, 2020, marking the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote nationwide.
Learn more about this monumental monument

$150M revamp announced for Central Park’s Lasker pool and ice rink

Via Central Park Conservancy

July 18, 2018

$150M revamp announced for Central Park’s Lasker pool and ice rink