The Central Park: Original Designs for New York's Greatest Treasure
Cynthia S. Brenwall
Harry N. Abrams, March 2019

Hardcover | 11-1/2 x 9-3/4 inches | 230 pages | 250 illustrations | English | ISBN: 978-1419732324 | $50.00

Publisher Description:
Drawing on the unparalleled collection of original designs for Central Park in the New York City Municipal Archives, Cynthia S. Brenwall tells the story of the creation of New York?s great public park, from its conception to its completion. This treasure trove of material ranges from the original winning competition entry; to meticulously detailed maps; to plans and elevations of buildings, some built, some unbuilt; to elegant designs for all kinds of fixtures needed in a world of gaslight and horses; to intricate engineering drawings of infrastructure elements. Much of it has never been published before. A virtual time machine that takes the reader on a journey through the park as it was originally envisioned, The Central Park is both a magnificent art book and a message from the past about what brilliant urban planning can do for a great city.dDAB Commentary: Years ago I taught at the Columbus Circle campus of the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), when a couple projects given to first- and second-year students were located in Central Park. I don't recall their individual programs, but one was a building along Central Park West, not far from the American Museum of Natural History, and the other was a structure along the...