New York's Central Park

A view of the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, August 31, 2015, taken during a memorial for Broadway actor Kyle Jean-Baptiste.

America's first major landscaped public park, Manhattan's 840-acre Central Park welcomes more than 37 million visitors every year. 

The Lake

With a section of the Manhattan skyline in the background, people row around the lake in Central Park May 12, 2014, in New York.

Saturday Afternoon

New Yorkers enjoying a day out in Central Park in 1869.

On July 21, 1853, the New York State legislature voted to set aside hundreds of acres in the middle of Manhattan for a park. The site of several small farms, hovels, and a settlement known as Seneca Village (comprised of African Americans and Irish immigrants), was turned into a landscaped public park, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. 

Construction of the park (including roadways and bridges) was completed in 1876.

Bethesda Terrace

Bethesda Terrace in Central Park in 1890.

Skaters

An undated photo of New Yorkers ice skating on a frozen lake in Central Park.

Shanty Town

A Depression-Era shanty town, dubbed "Hooverville," built on the site of the old reservoir (what is now the Great Lawn). Remnants of the old reservoir's walls can be seen at the Central Park Police Precinct (along the 86th Street Transverse).

Aerial View

An aerial view of Central Park, bounded by luxury high-rises and apartment buildings along Central Park South, Fifth Avenue on the East, and Central Park West. 

Fall Colors

The San Remo peeks out over the trees as leaves start to show signs of autumn in Central Park in New York City on November 8, 2010. 

Fall Colors

The Gapstow Bridge is seen through the trees in Central Park as the leaves are beginning to change, marking the fall season in New York on October 26, 2009 .

Strawberry Fields

The "Imagine" tile mosaic in the Strawberry Fields section of Central Park, created to honor John Lennon, is seen on October 9, 2014 in New York City. Lennon was murdered in 1980 outside the nearby Dakota.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir

The Central Park Reservoir was originally fed water from the Croton Aqueduct to be distributed across Manhattan, but it was decommissioned in 1993. Today its perimeter provides a popular path for runners. 

In 1994 the reservoir was renamed in honor of the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. 

Bridge

People sit on a bridge in Central Park, November 4, 2012 in New York City. 

Horse and Carriage

A horse-drawn carriage carries tourists through Central Park on March 11, 2014 in New York City. 

Sheep Meadow

Circus performers Victor Cathala and Kati Pikyarainen practice their routine on the grass of Central Park's Sheep Meadow May 7, 2003, in New York. Up until 1934, the 15-acre field was the home of 200 sheep, housed in a building that is now Tavern on the Green. 

Free Music

The public is invited to play a Sing For Hope piano in Central Park, part of a public art display throughout New York City.

Walkies

Henry, an African spurred tortoise, walks in the grass of Central Park as his walker Amalia McCallister sits in New York, May 19, 2016.

Sunrise

The rising sun illuminates a flag flying inside Central Park in New York City, November 2, 2016.

Snowstorm

A visitor walks down steps near Bethesda Fountain in Central Park in New York early February 7, 2003 as a snowstorm moved through the area.

Great Lawn

Jon Bon Jovi performs during a free concert on Central Park's Great Lawn Saturday, July 12, 2008 in New York. 

Central Park has hosted concerts by such artists as Barbra Streisand, Simon & Garfunkel, Diana Ross, Garth Brooks, Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Luciano Pavarotti, and the New York Philharmonic. 

Pope in Central Park

Tens of thousands of people watch Pope Francis ride in the "Popemobile" through Central Park on September 25, 2015 in New York City.

New York City Marathon

Central Park marks the finish line of the annual New York City Marathon. The race attracts more than 50,000 runners. 

Wollman Rink

People skate on the Wollman Ice Rink October 23, 2006 in Central Park in New York City. The rink is one of the country's largest outdoor skating rinks, measuring 30,800 square feet.

Cherry Blossoms

Kelvin Villaroel holds up his son Isaac for a photo in front of a cherry blossom tree in Central Park in New York April 20, 2014.

Snowfall

A person walks through Central Park following morning snow in Manhattan, New York City, on December 17, 2016.

Great Lawn

An unidentified sunbather has Central Park's Great Lawn all to herself, Aug. 10, 2004.