In one of the previous posts, ToniAnn blogged about the Storm King Wavefield, a sculpture park located in upstate New York. But although we hardly recognize it as a piece of art work, we actually have one the greatest examples of landscape architecture right here in New York, and that is Central Park. Unlike the Storm King Wavefield, Central Park did not take a little tweaking to make it into what it is today. Before it was Central Park, the land was actually a rocky, swampy terrain that was terrible for farming or commercial development. It took more gunpowder to blast out the rocks than was used at the Gettysburg Battle during the Civil War, and it took massive draining to get rid of the swamps.
The current Central Park is the way it is because of the careful planning of the two designers, Frederick Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Their original Greensward Plan won the design contest, and was chosen as the main design of Central Park. The park was to reflect the rough, unpolished look of nature. Olmsted and Vaux wanted to provide sites for relaxation, so they also planned for big open fields, such as the Sheep’s Meadow. They designed winding roads meant for the use of carriages, cars, and strolling, with many bridges to connect the roads to make the system run more smoothly. There are gardens in Central Park. Then there were famous structures like the Belvedere Castle, and the Bethesda Terrace, with many sculptures added like that of Shakespeare and Alice in Wonderland. There is also the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These are all art that is available inside the great work of art that is Central Park itself. I think it is an overwhelming idea that in going to Central Park, you aren’t only seeing sculptures and artwork by other people, you are actually in one of the greatest works of art designed by Olmsted and Vaux. I think that my next visit to Central Park will be a more appreciative one.
I had no idea about the history of Central Park and after reading this post, it was quite informative. I kind of feel ashamed as a New Yorker to not know about the history and to have only visited it about three times in my life, all which have been in the last three months. When I have a chance, I would have to thoroughly explore this park and I agree with Shirley that I would appreciate it more the next time around.
Excellent point! The creation of Central Park (which sits so logically at the center of the city) is a stunning example of GOOD urban planning. They did not just put a fence around some nice land, the park was meticulously designed and constructed to LOOK like it just “happened.” It is hard to imagine the level of “imaginations” and “vision” required to “see” this before it was there.