The central Park

The central park (4 km at length and 800 m at width) – the main park of New York. Here in good weather townsmen during week-end gather. At a fountain the Belvedere shirk dogs of all breeds, fans of exotic come with snakes, parrots, polecats, someone plays drums, someone trades in souvenirs and hand-made articles.

When that for a long time on Manhattan "in sections" places for dialogue with the nature has not been provided. Now it will seem a little strange and wildish, but, not interfering on another's farm and not splashing on a bog to admire greens and it was possible to listen to singing of birds only on... Cemeteries. "But soon enough white надгробья and black catafalques start to direct grief", - one of the inhabitants, searching for rescue from an urbanistic landscape complained.

The first idea of creation of the Central park has put forward and the poet and citizen William Brajant who with enthusiasm has supported Andrew Jackson Dauning, too the editor-in-chief, but magazine "Gardener", very much then popular and influential contrary to the name began to defend. And was Даунинг not only the journalist, but also the landscape architect first in the USA.

The idea of park so has seized weights, that on municipal elections of 1851 to create it candidates of both parties - both democratic, and republican promised.

The park has been from the very beginning conceived as free, opened for all. As account, instead of profitable.

But on July, 21st, 1853 Albany idea nevertheless has confirmed, having passed of the special law proclaiming the looked after site in the centre of Manhattan by a public property. The Earth began to redeem at its then owners who, using the moment, cheaply conceded nothing. With 1853 for 1856 for a rectangle which becomes Park, New York has laid out more than 5 million dollars! The improbable sum. To everyone it is clear, that the dollar of XIX century present though and is similar, but in any way ровня, but a true parity between coins of gold both silver stamping and present bank notes with portraits of presidents to difficultly itself even to present, yet will not start to recollect, and how many then that costed.

So, 5 million dollars for the earth under park. In 1853 of the USA have bought territory of two present states of New Mexico and Arizona for 10 million dollars. Two staff, instead of an earth site on Manhattan. In 1867 of the USA have got Alaska for 7,2 million dollars. Also it is not necessary to say, that Alexander II has bargained it away: who knew, that there gold, and then and oil in due course will be found. In 1803 for all French Louisiana America has paid to Napoleon of 15 million dollars. And then Louisiana with the same name was completely not equal to present staff: it about third of present continental part of the USA, after its purchase the country territory has increased twice. On the former French earths completely 12 present states also have partially taken places. Here such standard of price.

By 1857 the sphere of action has been cleared away, and the city declared anonymous competition on which to spring of 1858 33 projects have been presented. One of the main initiators of creation of park Andrew Dauning in competition of participation has not accepted: in 1852 the landscape architect was lost on Hudson during spontaneous river races of two steamships. Steam coppers of one of them, not having sustained pressure, have blown up. Даунинг was on its board and has not come up. The bright description of these hazardous races only on Mississipi, instead of on Hudson, is in "Квартеронке" Main Read. There, by the way, coppers too blow up, and the steamship "Beauty" leaves on a bottom. Such wheel beauty can be seen now only on Mississipi where it grandly carries tourists, and dashing motorists arrange races. Inevitable intervention of the police which with the great pleasure are writing out penalties, allows to avoid fatal consequences. Progress is available. But we will return in a century the nineteenth.

One year prior to  destruction Даунинг has persuaded to get over in the USA young English architect Kalverta Voksa. When competition has been declared, Вокс has concluded the creative union with friend Dauninga Frederikom Olmstedom who by this time has had time to visit the office employee and the seaman, the farmer and the journalist, but the architect was not. But he knew the rectangle of the earth which have been taken away under the project, for sure: having based own publishing, Олмстед has quickly gone bankrupt, remained without cent and was arranged to work as the superquartermaster of park not existing yet.

Вокс and Олмстед have presented the project the last and have won competition. Work was coming the huge. The heathland should become the best park of the world, to which New York in 1858-1873 has enclosed 14 million dollars more! The price of two Алясок, and all on 1 million is less than cost of the French Louisiana.

Rocks tore gunpowder: dynamite Альфред Нобель yet has not thought up. To gunpowder has left more than during the largest fight of civil war at Gettysburg where three days ironed armies of the North and the South each other from 634 guns in July, 1863. Number of army of the workers standing under command Вокса and Олмстеда, reached 20 thousand persons. Worked for 10 hours per day. They drained bogs and dug lakes and ponds, and laid pipes which feed them from water system of a city. They have laid 6 million bricks, having used 35 thousand бочек cement, have brought 50 thousand cubic metre of gravel, 14 and a half thousand cubic metre of sand and have transported 10 million carts of the earth and stones. Filled hills and built falls. From other coast of Hudson, from the State of New Jersey, delivered 14 thousand cubic metre of a fertile soil and have planted 270 thousand trees and bushes. Have constructed 35 bridges, have laid 93 kilometres of roads. And after all all manually: in the middle of XIX century what technics, except a pick yes shovels!

In creation of a corner of the virgin nature in the centre of Manhattan the nature of participation did not accept. It is creation of the person which has surpassed the nature. "The park seems natural, because here all present: the present earth, the present grass, the present trees, water, flowers. But actually all it is skilfully created. As a matter of fact here it is more from Hollywood, than from Mother Nature", - historian Sara Sedar Miller, the author of the book "considers the Central park - the American masterpiece".

Southern part of park have opened for going to stare at its building nju-jorktsev in the winter of 1859 and on the Pond (this his name own) for the first time have arranged a skating rink. After hundred years Холден Колфилд ("Over a precipice in a rye") all guessed, where ducks who manage on the Pond in the summer in the winter disappear. By 1865 when civil war has ended, and before official opening of park remains as early as eight years, in it every year happened already on 7 million persons. Now - 25 million a year.

Here there is all and for all. It is possible to skate in the winter, and if snow and on санках, all year it is possible to run трусцой has dropped out, in the summer - to remove by a boat on the Lake middle (too a proper name) and to fish (but, having caught, it is necessary to release) to collect mushrooms (to put back unessentially). It is possible to feed fiber and birds, to start kites, to throw a plateau and a boomerang, to roll on a grass, to arrange picnics and weddings, to sunbathe, play baseball, to listen to the best pop singers, to arrange the meetings collecting not less to the people, than concerts, - on 100 thousand persons, to go in the summer on Shakespearean plays, to go for a drive on a bicycle, to exploit and start up in ponds ships, to go on park with excursion and to wander to one to read the book and to write a picture, to stare on passers-by and is simple nothing to do. Everything, everything. All is free, including theatre (the main thing, to come in time behind the ticket: it is a lot of interested persons, more than two tickets per customer do not give). For money - only saddle horses on hire, trips to horse crews, a roundabout and zoo visiting.

The true assistant to ingenious detective Niro Woolf Archi Goodwin (both are familiar to us any more only under Reksa Stout's books, but also on two teleserials, of which domestic production) tells one in a detective "Death содержанки": "... On Friday, at o'clock in the afternoon, I sat in a comfortable armchair in a bedroom on the ninth floor of hotel" Мейдстоун "in the Central park around the Seventieth streets". It is lies. Says lies, of course, not the fairest Арчи, and the translator: no hotels, apartment houses and so forth in park are present and cannot be: it not for this purpose. On all green file there are only three buildings not subordinated to park - "the Tavern on a lawn" with fine kitchen and not democratic prices, a police station proud of that in the territory entrusted to it the lowest in New York a crime rate, and the well-known museum "Метрополитэн". All three steels such integral part of park, that without them it is inconceivable, though an input in a museum not in its fencing, and on the Fifth avenue.