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Central Park: Reason to celebrate150 years old, park rebounds to former glory
By Greg Botelho
NEW YORK (CNN) -- In terms of style, substance and amusement, few places in New York -- or the young United States -- could match Central Park in the late 19th century. Newspapers ran columns detailing the comings and goings of park-goers -- what they wore, who accompanied them, what they did. In a society often divided by class, race, gender and ethnicity, the picturesque grounds embodied egalitarianism as the entire city's playground.Central Park was "everything rolled into one," said Galen Cranz, parks expert and professor at the University of California - Berkeley. "The park provided a setting that was so attractive socially that people would feel invested in it -- and they were." On its 150th birthday, in a city packed with distinctive neighborhoods like Greenwich Village and high style as in the Upper East Side, Central Park remains a hot spot for residents and visitors alike. Its manicured lawns, well-groomed gardens and abundant activity recall the park's early years -- and mark a 180 degree change from its dirty, dangerous state of the 1970s. Beyond being a bastion and playground for millions of New Yorkers, Central Park's history also contains valuable lessons for those trying to build and better parks around the world. "There were bad times but, from a learning standpoint, we need to hear that," Rosemary Dorsa, a New York native now in Indianapolis as executive vice president of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, said in June. "I have never seen it looking so splendid." 'Pastoral ideal'In America's early days, open space abounded, making public parks largely an afterthought. That changed in the 19th century, particularly in increasingly big, busy cities like New York. Bolstered by publishers William Cullen Bryant and Horace Greeley, the state legislature on July 21, 1853, authorized New York City to buy land between Fifth and Eighth Avenues, from 59th to 106th streets. (The park extended to 110th St. after a similar purchase 10 years later.)
The 843-acre grounds were designed by America's premier landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead, the man behind college campuses such as Stanford, the Emerald Necklace in Boston, the U.S. Capitol grounds, and Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. "He integrated social science into his design, and thought very deeply about the purposes of these new forms for America," said Cranz. Central Park, like many Olmstead creations, reflected a "pastoral ideal" -- a replication of the countryside in the city with scenic vistas, rolling topography and an open, grid-free design. Fall and resurrectionThe environs adapted, especially as sports gained importance in society, but Olmstead's vision of Central Park as a social hub and getaway from city life stayed strong for decades. But by the 1970s, as crime rates soared, city budgets soured and more people left the city, Central Park -- like many parks around the nation -- had become a shell of its former self. "The park was a disaster," said Regina Peruggi, president of the Central Park Conservancy, recalling rusty bridges, clogged drains, eroded soil and litter-ridden ponds. "You didn't have the flowers, the Great Lawn was dirt, there was graffiti on every building." "We got it right early on, particularly in eastern cities, then we got a bit amnesia on the importance of urban parks in civic life and to our health," added Will Rogers, head of the Trust for Public Land, on the demise of Central Park and other parks nationwide. In 1980, then-Mayor Ed Koch helped form a nonprofit group called the Central Park Conservancy. With fundraising, volunteerism and other means, the park improved -- first removing graffiti and erecting lamps, then restoring buildings, gardens and open spaces. Today, paying more than 85 percent of the total budget, the Conservancy handles the park's operation, while the City retains oversight. This setup has proven a major benefit in difficult economic times, like the present, when recreational expenditures often fall victim to budget cuts. Key to community health
The constant activity, commerce and prime real estate prices near Central Park attest to a few of the ways parks can strengthen the local economy and make a city more "livable." "Urban parks are all about health," said Rogers, "not only physical health, not just exercise, but the community's health. It's about economic health, and the stimulus parks provide." More and more cities have embraced this sentiment of late, said Rogers, singling out St. Louis, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and New York as leaders of a park renaissance. "It's not just a place to look at -- it's integral to the city's welfare," said Mimi Pukama, a program manager for Friends of Philadelphia Parks. As trends and thinking evolve, older parks adapt to remain relevant. The toughest challenge, and where Central Park has excelled, is changing while staying true to its roots, Cranz said. "There's an interesting tension between accommodating popular tastes and preserving the aesthetic experience and vision," she said. "Central Park has embraced that tension -- it keeps the park alive and responsive, but we don't let current trends dominate the show." While New York is bigger and busier than 150 years ago, today's Central Park continues to echo Olmstead's vision as an open, green urban getaway that everyone can enjoy. "Central Park is the soul of New York City," said Peruggi. "It's what makes New York a sane and civilized place to live."
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