Summer is almost here and thoughts turn to vacations and some respite from city life. However, in the 19th century for families that were not wealthy and could afford a summer retreat outside the city, the city was hot, dirty and disease ridden. For years concerned citizens argued for a central park to offer the population a reprieve from city life, but it was a hard sell and the “park question” was debated by the press into the 1850s.

Public Parks vs Public Health, New York Times 1853.

The appeal of the pastoral for city folk drew New Yorkers to the cemeteries which were built with public visitors in mind. Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn was opened in 1840 with 478 landscaped acres and 20 miles of pedestrian paths. Although Brooklyn was not yet part of greater New York, it attracted middle-class visitors who strolled on Sunday through a “pleasure ground.” Although the new cemeteries certainly brought a bit of the country to the city, they did not have the advantage of being within traveling distance for the average working New Yorker.

Entrance to Greenwood Cemetery, 1854. NYPL Digital Collections: http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-0f76-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Crowd at Greenwood Cemetery on Decoration Day, 1899. Image from MCNY Digital Collections: http://collections.mcny.org/Collection/Greenwood%20C.-2F3XC58PVHW9.html

After much controversy, in 1853 the New York State Legislature enacted into law provisions to set aside over 750 acres of land in Manhattan to create what would be America’s first major landscaped park–Central Park. Frederick Law Olmstead was selected as the architect, and he believed that the park would improve public health and contribute to the formation of a civil society.

First Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Department of Public Parks, 1871.

Unfortunately, even in the 19th century, gentrification had its downside. Creating Central Park caused the displacement of many of the city’s poor, including Irish pig farmers and German gardeners. What was known as Seneca Village, founded by freed blacks was also part of the parcel, and it existed from 1825 to 1857 and was located on about 5 acres of land between 82nd and 89th streets.

The park was officially completed in 1873 but not long after the upkeep of the park started to decline, due in part to the political machine of Tammany Hall. In the 20th century this changed and now the park is a major destination for New Yorkers as well as tourists, all of whom seek a bit of the country in the city.

Laws Respecting the Central Park and Other Works Under the Control of the Department of Public Parks, 1870.

“Central Park Museum” from First Annual Report of the Board of Commissioners of the Department of Public Parks, 1871.

The Mall from Terrace. Image of Central Park from The Metropolis Explained, 1871.