Let's Build Central Park

New York City's iconic green space, Central Park - larger than Monaco and Vatican City combined - was legislated for on 21st July, 1853. Over 750 acres of Manhattan were allocated for America's first major landscaped public park; a grand plan which aimed to rival European cities. Rocky and swampy land, previously home to small farms and settlements, was bulldozed - at a cost that exceeded the purchase of Alaska. A competition produced Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s winning design, a version of an English pastoral landscape that reflected the natural beauty of New York State. Their design included a parade ground, fountains, skating arena, and ladies’ ‘refreshment salon’. In this episode Arion, Rebecca and Olly question just how inclusive this ‘park for everybody’ truly was; consider how the upper classes benefited from the property opportunity presented by its construction; and check out the latest park’s trend: pizza box recycling bins... Further Reading: • ‘Almanac: On July 21, 1853, hundreds of acres of land in the center of Manhattan were set aside for Central Park, one of the world's most glorious public spaces’ (CBS News, 2019): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/almanac-central-park-new-york-city/ • ’12 Secrets of New York's Central Park’ (Smithsonian Magazine, ): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/12-secrets-new-yorks-central-park-180957937/ • ​​’How Central Park Was Created Entirely By Design and Not By Nature’ (Architectural Digest, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AVymQ-SU3A Love the show? Support us!  Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY…  … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.  Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices