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- Central Park is 843 acres (11.2 km2); its 6-mile
(9.6 km) perimeter extends from Central Park West
to Fifth Avenue, and 59th to 110th Streets.
- Central Park is the first major landscaped public
park in the USA, North America. A competition for
the design was held in 1858. The winners were Frederick
Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.
- The Manhattan rock outcrops in the Park are approximately
450 million years old.
- Central Park contains 58 miles (92.8 km) of pedestrian
paths, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of bridle trail, 6.5 miles
(10.4 km) of Park Drive, and 7 miles (11.2 km) of
benches (nearly 9,000).
- The Park’s 843 acres (11.2 km2) include 136
acres (.5 km2) of woodlands, 250 acres (1 km2) of
lawns, and 150 acres (.6 k m2) of water in seven water
bodies.
- More than a half million shrubs, trees, and vines
were planted during the building of the Park. Today,
there are more than 26,000 trees, including 1,700
American elms.
- More than 25 million visitors enjoy Central Park
each year.
- Central Park’s landscapes were created from
barren swampland. It took 16 years and over $14 million
(roughly $260 million today) to build the Park.
- To construct the Park, workers moved nearly five
million cubic yards (3.8 million m3) of stone, earth,
and topsoil. They built 30 bridges and arches, and
11 overpasses over sunken transverse roads.
- The northern end of the Park was the site of a
series of fortifications for the Revolutionary War
and the War of 1812.
- Belvedere Castle was completed in 1872 as a viewing
pavilion overlooking the Croton Reservoir. In 1937,
the Reservoir was filled in to become the Great Lawn.
- There are 51 sculptures in the Park and 36 bridges
and arches.
- Bethesda Fountain was the only sculpture included
in the original construction of the Park.
- Central Park was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1965 and a New York City Landmark in 1974.
- Since 1980, a public-private partnership between
New York City and the Central Park Conservancy has
restored and preserved Central Park. The Central Park
Conservancy is responsible for the maintenance and
continuing preservation of the Park and has raised
over $300 million for its care.
For more information about Central Park,
please visit The Central Park
Conservancy website, www.centralparknyc.org, or the
New York City Department of
Parks & Recreation website, www.nyc.gov/parks.
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