Iconic Views of Central Park Walking Tour
with guide Catherine Fredman
Thursday, May 1, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Early May in Central Park. What could be more classic than a walk immersed in the creation story of this spectacular public space? On May 1, we will join experienced former Central Park Conservancy guide Catherine Fredman for a custom walking tour exploring the very origins of the park.
As we stroll up the iconic Mall, we'll follow the history of the people and the ideas behind the design and creation of Central Park, the first purpose-built public park in the United States. Why did New York City need a public park? Why was this space chosen? What was so unique about Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux's Greensward Plan? Was everything we see today there from the beginning?
From 1857 to 1866, more than 20,000 laborers shaped nearly 800 acres of rocky, swampy land (previously home to small farms and settlements) into this special space. It may feel utterly natural today, but every bit of the landscape—lakes and ponds, rocks and hills, gardens, woods and open spaces—was 100% manmade.
Join us for the first LW! walking tour of the spring to view the park as it was first imagined, and see why Vaux declared it a space with "Nature first, second and third—architecture after a while.”
This tour begins at the Dairy (just north of Wollman Rink), wanders up the Mall and ends at Bethesda Terrace. We'll spend around ninety minutes, plus time for all your questions for our dazzling guide. LW! uses museum-tour style "whisper" tech earphones, so you can listen in comfort as we stroll.
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Our Guide:
Catherine Fredman was a volunteer tour guide with the Central Park Conservancy for twelve years. She has lived in New York for most of her life and still finds new things to discover and delight in in the park.
Top photo: The Mall in Central Park, 1902, courtesy of the Library of Congress digital collections
