The Quirky Facts
Frederick Law Olmsted, (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) considered the “Father of Landscape Architecture,” with his business partner Calvert Vaux won the design competition for Central Park in 1858, but it would be well into the 1870s until it was considered fully built. It had its setbacks and controversies – a Civil War, an entire village of people displaced, glacier rock that needed dynamiting, topsoil that needed importing from New Jersey, and personnel and funding issues. The U.S. paid more for developing Central Park in New York (almost $7.4 million) then for all of Alaska ($7.2 million). But today its 843 acres make up the most visited urban park in America (40+ million visitors annually).
While the idea of wandering through lovely parklands had long been a tradition in Europe, the parks tended to surround the palaces and manor houses (think Versailles) of the very rich. Most people were denied the beauty, open-air benefits and the sense of harmony and relaxation they offered. Olmsted saw parks as a way to build community and wanted them to be available to everyone.
The Quirky Quote
"He paints with lakes and wooded slopes; with lawns and banks and forest-covered hills; with mountainsides and ocean views ...” ~ Daniel Burnham in reference to Frederick Law Olmstead
The Quirky Observation
Frederick Olmsted gained his income from designing parks, but he was also an early conservationist who promoted the preservation of land for national parks, particularly in New York (Niagara Falls) and California (Yosemite). The natural flow of untouched landscapes strongly influenced the meandering, curving paths he added to his park designs.
The Question
Have you visited Central Park? What did you think? What does your local park mean to you? Is it a place of community, tranquility, beauty for you? For what occasions do you gather there?
Featured Product
Nature nurtures and the 126 slides in Wiser Now’s
In the Garden activity-rich slide show combine gorgeous photos and paintings with trivia quizzes, word games, discussion topics and imaginative and reminiscence activities that will stay planted in your mind.
The Quiz: Central Park by the Numbers
Central Park is filled with delights, as the fact that it’s the most filmed location in the world (Well over 200 films) attests, but as far as we found, no one has counted the number of raccoons, opossums, frogs, turtles, fish, squirrels, chipmunks, bats, or birds (hundreds of species). The sheep that once roamed Sheep Meadow were removed to a farm during the Great Depression for fear that they might be eaten by park visitors. There is only one cow in the park zoo. But as for the rest of these numbers, we think they are mostly unchanging.
Can you put the correct number in the blanks?
Part 1, the Land
Central Park has 36 51 58 125 136 159 250 9500
___ acres of woodlands
___ acres of lawns
___ acres of water in 8 lakes and ponds
___ bridges and arches
___ miles of pedestrian pathways
___ benches
___ drinking fountains
___ sculptures
Part 2, Play
Central Park has 2 4 6 12 21 26
___ baseball fields
___ tennis courts
___ soccer fields (non-regulation)
___ volleyball courts
___ ice-skating rinks
___ children’s playgrounds, 1 carrousel
The Shameless Request
Please share Wiser Now Wednesday with anyone you think might be interested, and if you represent an organization that would like a customized version, send me a note at Kathy@WiserNow.com.
The Resources
Welcome to 
136 acres of woodlands
Part 2, Play
