New York City and the Arts

Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of Belvedere Castle. In fact, I knew very little about the architecture of Central Park. Like many in this country, I knew that the park was large, had immense quantities of green space, and perhaps not much more.
But learning about Belvedere Castle made me realize that it is truly a shame that the architecture of Central Park is relatively unknown outside of New York City. Not only is Belvedere Castle a small observatory (focused primarily on birds), the castle itself is a beautiful structure (indeed, as I discussed in my research paper, the beauty of Belvedere Castle was in fact its only original purpose), and it provides its patrons with truly stunning views of the surrounding area.
The most interesting thing I learned about as a result of this project was the existence of architectural follies. These are buildings that were built for no specific purpose but to add to the beauty of the surrounding area. Obviously these are widely impractical, but some follies (primarily those located in Ireland) were actually commissioned so as to provide employment for those who were out of work as a result of the potato famine, without displacing the employed. I thought this was a peculiar way to deal with the problem of unemployment, that while perhaps effective, would be wildly decried in contemporary America.
I found that this project was a fairly successful one as far as enlightening me regarding the artistic side of architecture, but in retrospect I would have chosen a building with a more compelling history, that would have lent itself more easily to a more substantial analysis.