MHC 200: Power of Parks Does Central Park work?

How did Central Park originally come to exist?

How has the perceived purpose of the park changed over time?

The creation of Central Park was a product of the picturesque movement, which favored placing large, designed landscapes inside of the most polluted cities. The movement’s motives were a variety of health and aesthetic issues. Frederick Olmstead, the designer of Central Park (among others), mentions in his essay that a park would combat the grime and muck associated with city life. Cities, he says, are extremely convenient, and as such will continue growing over time; therefore, he says, parks must be included in the city’s plans as a way of making the projected growth sustainable. Olmstead made arguments for his desired park’s beneficial effect on both mental and physical health. He argued that the park would filter the polluted air of the city, and also prevent disease and grime. The park, he says, would become the center of the city, and would make life there sustainable. Because of its convenience, people could visit the park after work, or on weekends. This was of particular importance to the working class, he claimed, because they were too busy and poor to summer in the countrysides. The park would become the “lungs” of the working class, and would shield the tired and poor from the dreadfulness of city life, and provide grounds for a pleasant afternoon stroll. Backed by financial moguls with strategic real estate holdings, and with little opposition or commentary at all from people that were not rich, the plan for the park eventually passed, and a large patch of land was reserved where it would not be troublesome to anyone (despite the fact that the location was horribly unideal and took a lot of money to fix).

Currently, however, Central park is most likely not quite what Olmstead had envisioned. He had imagined a pleasant, quiet landscape, where people could partake in quiet, refined, receptive events–presumably nothing like the numerous joggers and sports that can be seen today. Furthermore, the “working class,” if it still exists in the same capacity, does not frequent the park as much as hoped, with the majority of people being seen there either rich, white or nannies (citation needed). As medicine advanced and microorganisms were discovered, the health benefits of the park were soon debunked as well. The park is still, however, an iconic part of New York City and is beloved by residents as well as tourists.

Part 2:

Choose a particular feature in the park (hill, lake, region in the park, monument, building, bridge, famous trees/stands of tree, etc…  Examples could include the Sheep Meadow, the Ramble, Belvedere Castle, one of the reservoirs, one of the lakes, the Zoo or the Delacorte theatre).

How has that feature changed over time?

What does that case tell us about the current concept of parks today?

The Sheep Meadow

The Sheep Meadow was originally intended to be a military parade ground. As times changed, however, and as Olmstead began gaining traction, the area eventually become the grazing ground for 200 sheep, which were housed in an old Victorian style house that has now become the Tavern on the Green. The sheep and their brethren lived there from 1864 to 1934, until they were eventually removed. Over time, the area began losing its pastoral innocence. What was once a beautiful lawn became an unregulated gathering place in the 60s in and 70s, as hippies and concerts eventually eroded most of the grass and created another dustbowl. Now, the lawn has become a popular sunbathing and picnic location, and is relatively quiet. The concept of parks has clearly changed over the years. While the area has always been intended to draw crowds, the original designers envisioned a peaceful, pastoral scene, with sheep ambling about. That idea has changed over the years to suit the needs of the generations that become the new users of the park. The park is no longer merely a visual, aesthetic area; it has become a pragmatic gathering place for all kinds of people that which to use it.

Platt, Rutherford H. The Ecological City. From Commons to Commons: Evolving Concepts of Open Space in North American Cities. 1994.

Olmstead, Fredrick Law. Public Parks and the Enlargement of Towns. 1870.

“Sheep Meadow.” Central Park: The Official Website. Central Park NYC, 2010. Web. 20 September 2011.

Images borrowed from:

Central Park. New York Focus. Web. 20 September 2011. <http://www.centralpark2000.com/database/sheep_meadow.html>