Chaos Is My Friend_ by Keith Finer _A History of Modern Architecture: The Architecture of the Postmodern_ by John Goodman _Architecture of the Absurd: The Surprising, Improbable and Fascinating Buildings of Today_ by Peter Cook _The Future of Architecture: The Rebuilding of America's Communities and_ _Cities_ by Witold Rybczynski _In the Shadow of the Flatiron: A Walking Tour of Greenwich Village_ by Karen E. Robinson and Anne T. Hagner _The City in History: From Prehistoric Times to the Present Day_ by Peter Hall and David S. Landes _A Walk in the Park: A Journey Through Central Park in Story Form_ by Charles Montgomery and Susan Young New York Public Library and Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY ## Acknowledgments FIRST AND FOREMOST, I want to thank the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for allowing me to write about the Park—it's my favorite green space and I hope this book will contribute to its well-deserved reputation as a haven for the urbanite. Secondly, I thank Michael Greenstone, a New York City native who was kind enough to give me a crash course in park geography and Manhattan history. His guidance in the writing of this book was invaluable. I also thank Mimi O'Connor and Steve Cunzio at the MoMA for granting me permission to include photos of the building's exterior. I want to thank Dr. William J. Schmickler and the staff at the Brooklyn Historical Society, which provided invaluable resources when I was writing about Brooklyn. To my friends and colleagues in the architecture department at The Cooper Union, I am grateful for your patience when I was too busy writing this book to keep up with our regular "book club" discussions. I would be remiss if I failed to mention all of my friends who kept me company as I wrote this book—thank you for all the laughs and for not complaining when I came home exhausted and reeking of coffee and donuts. Most of all, I want to thank my daughter, Sage, who was instrumental in the genesis of this book. She will always have a special place in my heart as she was born in one of the most exciting periods in history: just months after the World Trade Center attacks. I'm sure I would have written a completely different book had she been born only weeks later. And to Grand Central Terminal, the "most American building in the world." I'm glad to say you turned out to be just what I needed to complete my city-dwelling education. Thank you for being here and thank you for being a beacon of hope. And I will never forget that day you got the wrong man, and I got the right one. _Kevin Cavenaugh_ I would like to thank my colleagues in the architecture department at Cooper Union for the Architecture Program, who kept me laughing as I worked on this book and kept me from giving up. I also want to thank my coauthor, Kevin Cavenaugh, for his expertise and friendship. Thanks to my family and friends for their support while I was writing this book. And thanks to my great friends and mentors Dr. Susan Mogulescu and Professor Maryam Zaringi, who have both helped me so much in writing this book and in realizing my full potential. _Hossain Ahmadi_ ## Introduction NEW YORK CITY has always been a place of big changes. We have witnessed the advent of the skyscraper, of high-rise and modern urban planning, of high-speed public transportation and the mass media. Over the past two decades, we've seen an emerging identity crisis, in which New York City has undergone some serious soul searching, questioning its role and influence as an American capital city. It is no surprise then, that while this book chronicles the history of the Park in New York, it can also be considered a record of the changing nature of the city's society and economy. ### THE LIVING PRESENCE OF PARK HISTORY Amid this changing landscape, the Park is a place of tranquility, where a human presence comes into view in this busy metropolis. In this book, we will explore both the tangible presence of the Park within the city, and the historical context of the Park in the development of New York City. While some Park features predate its existence (such as its hill, Fort Tryon, the man-made pond), most were added by the Department of Parks and Recreation, after the creation of the Park in 1895. Therefore, in many ways, this history will be the story of a city and its inhabitants, over the course of time. Through a careful analysis of what has survived, and what remains within the boundaries of Central Park, this book will also be able to tell the story of the physical infrastructure of the city that surrounds the Park, while keeping in mind that both the Park and the city have changed over time. In other words, this book attempts to tell the stories of both, and to provide a unique perspective on how they coexist. ### A STORY OF CITY HISTORY Much of the history of this city can be understood through the story of Central Park. While we cannot tell the full story of Central Park, we can attempt to understand how the various chapters relate to the City of New York as a whole. In particular, I have attempted to highlight the role that Central Park played in changing the image of the City over time. For instance, the story of the park has seen the growth of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the City's premier cultural institutions, to become one of the most visited institutions in New York City, with the number of tourists growing from 2.5 million visitors in the 1930s to 9.6 million in 2009. In addition, as our economy evolved and transformed, we have seen the gradual decline of the manufacturing industry as well as the traditional banking sector. This decline has resulted in an increased need for urban living, but as this increased population has developed, it has also led to some of the most serious problems of the last century: urban sprawl. Even as we have seen the growth of outer suburbs like Astoria and Flushing, due to the failure of governments to provide affordable housing for a city of over eight million residents, New York City continues to be a major economic hub for international finance and trade. However, while a city like New York cannot exist without industry, its character is changing. The "image" of New York has changed through the transformation of its environment and physical infrastructure over time. For instance, one can understand the history of Park development by understanding how the urban landscape has changed, and how the physical environment of the city has been transformed to accommodate the growth of the population over time. One can even consider the growth of the physical landscape over time as an element in changing our relationship with our environment, on a global scale. ### A STORY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIP While understanding the physical changes that took place over time can teach us a lot about the history of New York City, it is important to consider our shared human relationships as well. While these relationships are often intangible, and perhaps more difficult to measure, they also make up a large part of what makes our city unique. For example, in order to truly understand how the people of New York City interact with its physical landscape, it is important to consider how the City's human relationship with Central Park has evolved over time. Understanding this relationship will help us understand why the Park's infrastructure is not only a reflection of the City's growth, but an example of the changing relationship between the physical environment and the way we, as individuals and as a society, interact with it. As in many other cities, people of various backgrounds have coexisted in New York over the course of time, including immigrants and refugees from every corner of the globe. Throughout this book, we will attempt to portray the experiences of these diverse populations in the New York City over the course of a century. In a city of such extremes of both culture and infrastructure, it is important to understand how New York City has changed through this coexistence. This history is not only that of people in general, but a reflection of how our attitudes and actions towards our environment and others can change. ### A STORY OF HISTORY If there is one thing this book hopes to achieve, it is a better understanding of history in general, and New York City history in particular. While everyone may know about the September 11 attacks, I hope that by reading this book, you will learn something about the history of this city as well as the people who make it. A history of the Park will allow us to explore the evolution of New York City, as well as the changes that occurred in our relationship with the environment we live in. For example, who would have thought that a century ago, a large city in the middle of the continent would be completely covered in snow in the middle of the summer? It is not something you would learn in a high school history book. ### NOTES ON THE STYLE AND VOCABULARY This book is written for an audience of both the layperson and expert. While I want to bring everyone up to speed with the basic knowledge that is needed to enjoy this book, I also want to highlight