New York City Without Central Park

Credits to Letters of Note

Ambrose Kingsland, the 71st mayor of New York City, is best known for proposing the development of Central Park. In this letter he penned in 1851, he’s writing to the Common Council of NYC to persuade them to buy the land for Central Park. He believes the cost will be repaid four times over and the park will be a “lasting monument to its founders, earning the gratitude of future generations.”

Reading this letter, I can’t help but think about what would NYC be like without Central Park. Without Central Park, there is no Upper East Side and Upper West Side, subway lines would be much different, there would be no Columbus circle, the inequality in an already divided city would widen. Central Park is one of the crown jewels of NYC, one of its largest attractions, and an oasis in the concrete jungle.