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A pictorial history of the development of New York City’s Central Park from conception to completion. Drawing on the unparalleled collection of original designs for Central Park in the New York City Municipal Archives, Cynthia S. Brenwall tells the story of the creation of New York’s great public park, from its conception to its completion. This treasure trove of material ranges from the original winning competition entry; to meticulously detailed maps; to plans and elevations of buildings, some built, some unbuilt; to elegant designs for all kinds of fixtures needed in a world of gaslight and horses; to intricate engineering drawings of infrastructure elements. Much of it has never been published before. A virtual time machine that takes the reader on a journey through the park as it was originally envisioned, The Central Park is both a magnificent art book and a message from the past about what brilliant urban planning can do for a great city.
Countless New Yorkers, as well as visitors from all parts of the world, have experienced an oasis just a few feet off Fifth Avenue in the heart of Manhattan. Since the 1860s, Central Park has been the home of three different zoos: the menagerie, the zoo of 1934, and what is today known as the Central Park Zoo. The Central Park Zoo begins with the menagerie of the 1860s, an impromptu public zoo begun when citizens and circuses started donating animals to the city. It continues in 1934, when Robert Moses-perhaps the most influential man in the city's planning history-built a newer zoo, remembered to this day for its lions, tigers, elephants, and gorillas. It ends with the brand new zoo and exhibits built in 1988 under the supervision of the Wildlife Conservation Society. With stunning, rarely seen images, The Central Park Zoo not only is a treat for the eyes but also comes alive with the barking of sea lions, the soft fur of snow monkeys, the sweet smell of peanut butter, and the taste of "ice cakes"-treats for the zoo residents, of course.
Delineate the politicians, business people, artists, immigrant laborers, and city dwellers who are the key players in the tale. In tracing the park's history, the writers also give us the history of New York. They explain how squabbles over politics, taxes, and real estate development shaped the park and describe the acrimonious debates over what a public park should look like, what facilities it should offer, and how it should accommodate the often incompatible.
The splendor of New York’s most famous green space comes alive in this essential companion for nature lovers and travelers to New York. In more than 900 color images, a leading nature writer and a long-time Central Park naturalist detail the park’s tree species and their place in the park’s iconic landscapes. They show how to identify trees by their needles and leaves as well as by their flowers, fruits, and bark. Historical maps illustrate Manhattan’s changing vegetation and depict the various stages of the park’s construction. Beautiful photographs of the park’s most outstanding trees and landscapes accompanied by historical vignettes conjure the people and events that brought the trees to the park and helped create this urban oasis. More than a botanical guide, this book cultivates an appreciation of the park as both a natural triumph and an embodiment of the city’s varied spirit.
Winner - 2023 John Brinkerhoff Jackson Book Prize, UVA Center for Cultural Landscapes With more than eight hundred sprawling green acres in the middle of one of the world’s densest cities, Central Park is an urban masterpiece. Designed in the middle of the nineteenth century by the landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it is a model for city parks worldwide. But before it became Central Park, the land was the site of farms, businesses, churches, wars, and burial grounds—and home to many different kinds of New Yorkers. This book is the authoritative account of the place that would become Central Park. From the first Dutch family to settle on the land through the pol...
"Senelick's accomplishment is astounding."--Library Journal
New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.
A glorious souvenir of Manhattan's unique urban arcadia, 212 Views of Central Park shares the experience of being in Central Park through every season with out-of-town visitors and New York residents alike -- an experience as varied as the park's many structures, landscapes, activities, and environments.
Marking the park's 150th anniversary, this first definitive history celebrates the splendor and significance of this national treasure. 316 illustrations, 200 in color.
Vornberger's spectacular photography, interspersed with his comments about birds, the park, and photography, will appeal to all bird-watchers, nature lovers, photography aficionados, and visitors to New York's Central Park. Packaged inside the book is a removable foldout pocket guide.