Central Park, New York
Central Park, New York is located at the heart of Manhattan, between the upper west and upper east sides. It is the most famous park and the fifth largest in the city. It has gained fame due to its different and unusual architecture compared to the rest of the parks in New York. Annually, the estimated number of tourists, both local and international, are about 38 million people. Considering the number of visitors, it definitely earns the United States government a considerable amount of revenue. (Cook) The park was constructed following proposals of the need for a park in that part of the city, and that explains why it was allocated that kind of floor area.
Frederick and Calvert Vaux were the architects of this park after winning a competition with their plan, commonly referred to as the ‘Greensward Plan.’ This park is famous for the use of different kinds of architecture, landscapes, which aimed at retaining the natural features of the park. When construction began, they started by clearing the bushes but, at the same time, conserving the natural terrain of the space. The initial stages of the development were challenging, though, due to the existence of bedrock. After all of that had been cleared, the workers started by clearing the land, building spaces, and leveling the uneven terrains. They also planted plenty of trees, and the park currently has plenty of wooded areas. (Blackmar et al.)Besides, it also has a conserved green space that has been categorized into four types of lawns. Fences always surround these green areas, and they remain closed during off-seasons. The parks conservancy and maintenance team are the only ones allowed to go into these lawns during these periods for maintenance.
Central Park is such an ample space that it is home to a couple of water bodies. The Northern Eastern part of the park has one lake, Harlem Meer, which has a fishing zone allocated to it, on the south of Harlem is the largest lake, Jacqueline Kennedy. This one was constructed as a reservoir. The turtle pond is yet another water catchment area in the park. There are nevertheless a couple of other water bodies that I haven’t mentioned, but the most noticeable characteristic of all of them is that they are human-made. They were constructed to serve different functions, including fishing areas, drainage areas, or just water storage facilities, but their uniqueness is that they came up from landscape architecture. (Rugoff et al.)
As mentioned earlier, the park’s architecture and design were planned by two landscape architectures, Frederick and Calvert. After they had come up with the plan on what the park would look like, they contracted different people, ranging from masons, unskilled labor who would do the clearing of the land, and so on. The construction of this park was of great benefit to the population because it created plenty of employment of opportunities for most of them. It is quite noticeable that a lot of labor was required to ensure that trees would be planted and also the people that managed the construction of reservoirs.
The park was officially opened in 1876, and ever since then, it has remained free for everyone. It doesn’t charge anything for the entry fee. However, there are relatable charges that are related to going to specific parts of the park. The Belvedere Castle, for instance, is a castle that is located at the top of a hill in the park. The castle gives a spectacular view of the rest of the city and the park if you take a look at the roof top.
What is more, the castle is also where the rest of the park’s temperature is measured. In addition, if you want to get a chance to see the animals in the central park zoo, there are applicable charges that come with it. This is because you get shown around by tour guides, who need to be paid and serve and fuel the tour vehicles.
Before the park was constructed, the area that it currently occupies was just a free area. As we mentioned earlier, there was a lot of bedrock that was cleared. Around 200 years ago, there was a village that existed where the park currently stands. The town was made up of African American property owners. By 1855, the residents of the town were about 25 people who, apart from African Americans, included Irish immigrants and a group of people from Germany. For African Americans, this village allowed them to enjoy the serenity, far from the city. Initially, the major racial issue was slavery, but even after that was solved, African Americans still went through a lot of discrimination. There were separate housing facilities for the people of color, along with sidelined services such as health care and education. What is more, the American government had also approved specific public transport facilities to be put aside for the black. (Johnson777)
We had earlier on mentioned that this park has still maintained its natural terrain. Different people have gotten to experience and appreciate the architecture in diverse ways. For instance, there is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is among the world’s largest museums. Initially, visitors used to get an opportunity to visit the gallery free until March 1st, when they started charging 25 dollars for the entry fee. Its art collection contains about 2 million works, ranging from classical antiquities, paintings, and so on. The same park also includes a zoo that is home to all wildlife in the park. It would be unsafe if the animals would be roaming around the park, yet people regularly visit and use the amenities found there.
In addition, the park is also very children friendly. It has plenty of children’s playing grounds, athletic fields, and ice skating rinks. All of these amenities are very important for the children’s mental and physical growth, especially during a time like this when schools have been closed down. Parents can take advantage of the fact that enjoying these spaces is free and therefore, the children can spend their free time there. This reduces the chances of children getting involved in harmful and non-beneficial activities instead of focusing on their growth and development.
The park also houses a police station that is responsible for the maintenance of law and order around the area. The precinct has been there for quite a while and has contributed profoundly to ensuring chaos and disorder around the city are contained. The same park is also serving as a residential area for a considerable population. There are several block houses that have dated there existence from a century ago. Apart from being residential, they also serve as prehistoric sites because they have been there for a long time. The most significant architectural design in the central park is Cleopatra’s Needle. It has been there for around 3500 years and was constructed for the pharaoh thromes. Like any other tomb or prehistoric site in Egypt, there are razor blades, needles, portraits of women, and a lot of different things buried inside the Cleopatra’s Needle.
In Conclusion of this assignment, we will discuss the benefits of having this park in New York. The most important one is that it provides a recreation area for the citizens living in New York following untamed urbanization. We all need somewhere we can get a breather, especially after days of working hard and putting effort towards achieving your goal. What is more, the facilities that require a certain amount of fee to visit provide the government with revenue. This money is essential for the provision of social and necessary services. The park also fosters a good relationship between the United States and other countries when tourists visit.
I have visited the park a couple of times, and I would definitely recommend it to all my friends to do it as well. There is a sense of serenity that comes with it since it is a natural space.