Central Park

Robert F. Wagner Raiaan Valli
History 8-4 12/6/10

AUTHOR’S NOTE: CENTRAL PARK

The general topic of this book falls under the category of the “Gilded Age”. This particular period of time took place between 1869 and 1896. The Gilded Age was a time in American history when rapid economic growth generated vast wealth, new products as well as new technologies, and improved middle-class quality of life. The specific topic of this book is the architecture that was produced during the Gilded Age, particularly Central Park, which is located in New York City. It was roughly constructed in 1857. The construction of the park was before the Gilded Age, but the focus is the completed park in 1873. Central Park was definitely a factor which helped with the rapid growth of the economy. This is mainly because it was the only public park constructed at the time and received many visitors which in turn gave the government a vast amount of money. Central Park was the first landscaped public park in the United States to be constructed in the 19th century. New York City 's need for a great public park was voiced by the poet and editor of the Evening Post, William Cullen Bryant, and by the first American landscape architect, Andrew Jackson Downing, who began to publicize the city 's need for a public park in 1844. They believed that constructing a public park would offer families an attractive setting for every-day life and incorporate nature into their surroundings. In 1853, the state legislature gave the power to New York City to acquire more than 700 acres of land in the center of Manhattan, specifically the area between Fifth Avenue and Eight Avenue and 59th Street and 106th Street for the site of Central Park. In 1857, a landscape

Bibliography: Blackmar, Elizabeth, and Roy Rosenzweig. "History | Your Complete Guide to Central Park."CentralPark.com | Your Complete Guide to New York 's Central Park. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. . Frederick Law Olmsted was a landscape architect who designed America’s first great city park, Central Park. Using the land near the Dakota building in Manhattan, he transformed an ugly area into a wonderful work of architecture that would last for many years and remain in the hearts of many. Olmsted was a strong believer in democracy and felt that democratic cities should have large parks for recreations and quiet walking open to all people. After sixteen years of hard work from 3,800 workers, Central Park became the center of New York City’s entertainment and a successful work of art. This site was useful to me because it answered most of my questions and was the only source I used most often. It provides a detailed analysis of Central Park from the 1850s to the early 20th century. The site mentions that most of the work is taken from Roy Rosenweig and Elizabeth Blackmar’s book "The Park and the People: A History of Central Park", so this website is basically two sources merged into one. This is a fantastic resource for my topic, and for others who are researching the history and construction of Central Park. "Central Park." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. . Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City. The park originally opened in 1859, on 770 acres of city-owned land. In 1857, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they called the “Greensward Plan”. Construction began the same year and was completed in 1873. The park is 2.5 miles long between 59th Street (Central Park South) and 110th Street (Central Park North), and is 0.5 miles wide between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West. This website was useful to me because it allowed me to imagine and picture what the park looked like back in the day. The history of Central Park is very brief on this website since it provides a short overview. I believe the writers did a good job of including facts about the activities, art, geology, flora, and fauna that are located inside the park because it helped me understand the surroundings a little better. Whatever I have learned from this website will be incorporated into the book by making a perfect setting based upon the descriptions provided. This is an important source for my topic, and for others who are researching the surroundings and natural areas at Central Park. Waxman, Sarah. "History of Central Park, New York." NY.com, The Paperless Guide to New York City. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. . Central Park is the first urban landscaped park in the United States. It spanned more than a decade and cost New York City ten million dollars. The purpose was to refute the European view that Americans lacked a sense of appreciation for cultural as well as natural things and did not believe in the common good for all people. New Yorkers were hurt by the sound of this and built a magnificent landscape in which the wealthy could parade in their carriages, socialize, and stand out. This website was very suitable for my topic and a great way to use it as a starting point for my research. It provides the basic main ideas for all the processes before and after the construction of Central Park and that’s exactly what I needed since I was new to the topic and didn’t know much. This website is a reliable source because the author lists various sources she used as well. I noticed that at the bottom of the page that a few “useful links” were added and I decided to read some more and build upon the knowledge I had gotten from this website. This is a wonderful resource for my topic, and for others who are new to Central Park and would like answers to their questions in a brief, concise way.