Prospect Park

1869 - present

Located in Central Brooklyn, Prospect Park has served as the borough's largest public greenspace since its opening in 1867. Design on the park began in 1859 by Calvert Vaux as Brooklyn rapidly transitioned from an agrarian region to urban center. Vaux planned for three distinct zones that remain to this day: meadows and fields in the north and center-west regions; old-growth forest in the center-east portions; and a human-created lake to the south, fed by a snaking set of streams and wetlands. Following disruptions resulting from the American Civil War, Vaux recruited Frederick Law Olmstead to assist with a finalized plan that was presented and approved in 1866. Construction quickly began and the park's northeastern region partially opened to the public the next year, followed by successive portions until the project's conclusion in 1873. Prospect Park experienced several iterations of investment and decline over the following century, with the 1980s being a critical turning point of modern restoration led by Mayor Ed Koch and the newly-formed Prospect Park Alliance. Decades of reinvestment by the Alliance and city succeeded in revitalizing the park as a widely-utilized public space and it is today patronized by millions of residents and visitors a year.

From photo caption: "Iconic view of the Long Meadow, looking south"
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Details

Category
Playground
Audience
All Ages
Founder(s)
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (principal designers)
Tags
Calvert Vaux, Egbert Viele, Frederick Law Olmstead, National Register of Historic Places, Brooklyn Parks Commission, Robert Moses, New York State Assembly, James S. T. Stranahan, Prospect Park Alliance, American Civil War

Location

  • M25J+Q8 New York, NY, USA
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References

  1. https://www.prospectpark.org/learn-more/archives/