URBAN DESIGN COMMITTEE 3
Central Park, Manhattan, Conservancy Gardens
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North Woods CENTRAL PARK WEST BETWEEN 101 AND 110TH STREETS
FIFTH AVENUE, BETWEEN 104TH AND 106TH STREETS
These three gardens opened 1937 in a relatively quiet part of Central Park. The main entry gates at 105th Street were donated by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. They originally adorned the Vanderbilt mansion at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street. As you enter these gates and step down, an Italian Renaissance inspired garden is in front of you with a beautiful lawn bordered by yew hedges and flanked with allées of crabapple trees. A single fountain straight ahead completes the composition. To the right (north) is an oval French garden with some surrounding benches; and to the south is the English garden that features a grid of plots and walkways, with permanent hedges and plantings that change by the season.
The North Woods is Olmstead & Vaux’s imaginary primeval forest. It was designed as a rugged woodland intended for wandering and exploring based upon landscapes found in the Catskill and Adirondack mountains. Set amid Manhattan Shist outcroppings, the designers added trees, bodies of water, cascades and rustic bridges. There is an old military fort, the Great Hill, and the Loch, all in the north west part of the park. The North Woods is located off Central Park West between 101 and 110th Streets. There are several entrances; 106th is probably the closest.
North Woods, Manhattan Schist outcropping Photo: Courtesy NYC Parks Department
Vanderbilt Gate Photo: Ephermera New York
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