# The Restoration of the Mall

Constructed in 1858, the Mall was one of the first elements in Olmsted and Vaux's Greensward Plan to be built. The designers envisioned the Promenade, as they initially called it, as part of an "open air hall of reception" culminating at Bethesda Terrace. The only formal axis in a landscape designed to simulate rural scenery, the Mall quickly became a popular spot for New Yorkers to stroll and people-watch. Two rows of American elm trees planted along each side eventually arched over the Mall, their limbs suggesting the rib vaulting of a cathedral and further emphasizing the effect of a grand outdoor gathering place. In an attempt to preserve the rural character of the rest of the park, the commissioners established a policy in 1873 that designated the Mall as the most appropriate setting for commemorative works of art. With the placement of several statues of authors at the southern end of the promenade, the area came to be known as Literary Walk.

This project will restore the historic character of this distinctive Central Park landscape, improving its infrastructure and amenities and taking further steps to prolong the life of one of the largest remaining stands of American Elms in North America.

c. 1901

## Highlights include:

* Repaving Literary Walk with a textured asphalt suggestive of its original gravel surface

* Installing new drainage and irrigation systems

* Replacing the existing benches with the Central Park Settee, a reproduction of the park's nineteenth-century cast-iron and wood benches

* Adding new drinking fountains and lighting

* Restoring the ornamental fencing that protects the elms, and adding more prominent bluestone curbing to further define the edge of the walk and to direct excess water away from the lawn beneath the elms

For further information, or to support the work of the Central Park Conservancy, call us at 212-310-6600

CENTRAL PARK
CONSERVANCY

www.centralparkny.org

A.J.C. Smith, Chairman
Doug Blonsky, President &
Central Park Administrator

City of New York
Parks & Recreation
www.nyc.gov/parks

Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor
Adrian Benepe, Commissioner

Generous support for the restoration of the Mall has been provided by
**The Miriam G. and Ira D. Wallach Foundation**