Central Park

Designated a National Historic Landmark of New York City on 5/23/1963.

Landmark Description

Central Park, the first major landscaped public space in urban America, was created in the 1850s as an antidote to the turbulent social unrest, largely as the result of the country's first wave of immigration, and a serious public health crisis, caused by harmful environmental conditions. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the winners of the 1858 design competition for Central Park, along with other socially conscious reformers understood that the creation of a great public park would improve public health and contribute greatly to the formation of a civil society. Immediately, the success of Central Park fostered the urban park movement, one of the great hallmarks of democracy of nineteenth century America.

Category: Park-Garden

Location

Street: Central Park S. & 5th Ave.

Borough: Manhattan

County: New York

For this landmark

Each of the links below provide additional information and insights regarding Central Park.

Other landmark references

Utilize the links below to obtain more general and broader topics related to the National Historic Landmarks and the resources available to the public.

Library of Congress (LOC) Picture Collection
Unique in their scope and richness, the picture collections number more than 14 million images. These include photographs, historical prints, posters, cartoons, documentary drawings, fine prints, and architectural and engineering designs. While international in scope, the collections are particularly strong in materials documenting the history of the United States and the lives, interests, and achievements of the American people.
National Park Service - National Historic Landmarks Site
National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, just over 2,500 historic places bear this national distinction. Working with citizens throughout the nation, the National Historic Landmarks Program draws upon the expertise of National Park Service staff who guide the nomination process for new Landmarks and provide assistance to existing Landmarks.
LOC Historic American Building Survey
The permanent collection of architectural, engineering and landscape documentation at the Library of Congress consists of measured and interpretive drawings, large-format black and white and color photographs, written historical and descriptive data, and original field notes. The collection captures the American experience through approximately 40,000 recorded historic structures and sites, from American Indian cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde to space-age technology at Cape Canaveral.
LandmarkHunter.com
LandmarkHunter.com is a database of historic or notable landmarks in the United States, past and present.
Wikipedia - National Historic Landmarks in NYC
The free encyclopedia's directory of New York City's National Historic Landmarks.
Go Historic Site
Check out Go Historic, the encyclopedic travel guide to history, art and architecture, including places, people, things, photos and topics.