Authors: Justin Martin
Genius of Place (66 page)
130
“There is no Downing”:
New York Herald
, September 9, 1857.
“There is no Downing”:
New York Herald
, September 9, 1857.
131
“black and unctuous slime”:
FLO, “Passages in the Life of an Unpractical Man,” reprinted in
Papers
, 3:89â90.
“black and unctuous slime”:
FLO, “Passages in the Life of an Unpractical Man,” reprinted in
Papers
, 3:89â90.
132
“Everything is black & blacker”:
FLO to Samuel Cabot, October 22, 1857, reprinted in
Papers
, 2:452.
“Everything is black & blacker”:
FLO to Samuel Cabot, October 22, 1857, reprinted in
Papers
, 2:452.
133
Many of the desperate job seekers:
Account of menacing workers taken from “Influence,” an unpublished manuscript fragment by Olmsted and also from
Papers
, 3:15.
Many of the desperate job seekers:
Account of menacing workers taken from “Influence,” an unpublished manuscript fragment by Olmsted and also from
Papers
, 3:15.
133
as little as 3¢ an hour:
Detail from FLO to CP board of commissioners, January 22, 1861.
as little as 3¢ an hour:
Detail from FLO to CP board of commissioners, January 22, 1861.
133
“into a capital discipline”:
FLO to JO, January 14, 1858.
“into a capital discipline”:
FLO to JO, January 14, 1858.
134
“Dear dear Fred”:
JHO to FLO, November 13, 1857.
“Dear dear Fred”:
JHO to FLO, November 13, 1857.
134
“In his death”:
JO to FLO, November 28, 1857.
“In his death”:
JO to FLO, November 28, 1857.
134
“Don't let Mary suffer”:
JHO to FLO, November 13, 1857.
Chapter 11: Right Man, Right Place“Don't let Mary suffer”:
JHO to FLO, November 13, 1857.
135
Vaux was an architect:
Portrait of Vaux and early work with Downing drawn from multiple sources including Francis Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).
Vaux was an architect:
Portrait of Vaux and early work with Downing drawn from multiple sources including Francis Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).
137
Vaux was a tiny man:
Description of Vaux's appearance and demeanor drawn from interview, JM with Kowsky, August 14, 2009.
Vaux was a tiny man:
Description of Vaux's appearance and demeanor drawn from interview, JM with Kowsky, August 14, 2009.
137
“Being thoroughly disgusted”:
Vaux, quoted in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
(Winter 2008).
“Being thoroughly disgusted”:
Vaux, quoted in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
(Winter 2008).
139
“It would have been difficult”:
FLO, “Public Parks and the Enlargement of Towns,” reprinted in
Civilizing American Cities: Writings on City Landscapes
, ed. S. B. Sutton (New York: Da Capo Press, 1997), 52.
“It would have been difficult”:
FLO, “Public Parks and the Enlargement of Towns,” reprinted in
Civilizing American Cities: Writings on City Landscapes
, ed. S. B. Sutton (New York: Da Capo Press, 1997), 52.
139
“go ahead with the Children's Aid”:
FLO to Brace, December 1, 1853.
“go ahead with the Children's Aid”:
FLO to Brace, December 1, 1853.
140
“The Park is intended”:
FLO, “Description of the Central Park,” reprinted in
Papers
, 3:213.
“The Park is intended”:
FLO, “Description of the Central Park,” reprinted in
Papers
, 3:213.
140
A large improvised table:
Interview, JM with Kowsky, August 14, 2009.
A large improvised table:
Interview, JM with Kowsky, August 14, 2009.
140
For their design:
Details regarding Olmsted and Vaux's design taken from the so-called Greensward plan, reprinted in
Papers
, vol. 3.
For their design:
Details regarding Olmsted and Vaux's design taken from the so-called Greensward plan, reprinted in
Papers
, vol. 3.
140
“who in the best sense”:
Greensward plan, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:126.
“who in the best sense”:
Greensward plan, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:126.
141
Jervis McEnteeâthe notable painter:
Detail that McEntee did paintings for the Greensward submission checked on December 9, 2010, with Kowsky, author of
Country, Park, and City
.
Jervis McEnteeâthe notable painter:
Detail that McEntee did paintings for the Greensward submission checked on December 9, 2010, with Kowsky, author of
Country, Park, and City
.
142
“Only twenty years ago”:
Greensward plan, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:120.
“Only twenty years ago”:
Greensward plan, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:120.
143
By late in the afternoon of March 31, 1858:
Sara Cedar Miller,
Central Park: An American Masterpiece
(New York: Abrams, 2003), 87.
By late in the afternoon of March 31, 1858:
Sara Cedar Miller,
Central Park: An American Masterpiece
(New York: Abrams, 2003), 87.
143
like the world's continents:
Papers
, 3:112.
like the world's continents:
Papers
, 3:112.
143
plan dubbed “The Eagle”:
New York Post
, April 15, 1858.
plan dubbed “The Eagle”:
New York Post
, April 15, 1858.
144
“Commonplace and tasteless”:
Clarence Cook,
A Description of the New York Central Park
(New York: Benjamin Blom, 1972), 24.
“Commonplace and tasteless”:
Clarence Cook,
A Description of the New York Central Park
(New York: Benjamin Blom, 1972), 24.
144
a mysterious submission:
Miller,
Central Park
, 234.
a mysterious submission:
Miller,
Central Park
, 234.
144
“If, as is not improbable”:
Greensward plan, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:132.
“If, as is not improbable”:
Greensward plan, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:132.
145
“jewels of the Park”:
Dillon and Belmont card,
New York Post
, June 10, 1858.
“jewels of the Park”:
Dillon and Belmont card,
New York Post
, June 10, 1858.
146
“It is one great purpose”:
FLO to CP board of commissioners, May 31, 1858, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:196.
“It is one great purpose”:
FLO to CP board of commissioners, May 31, 1858, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:196.
146
“The contrast will be sudden”:
Dillon and Belmont card,
New York Post
, June 10, 1858.
“The contrast will be sudden”:
Dillon and Belmont card,
New York Post
, June 10, 1858.
146
“It is not only”:
New York Courier and Enquirer
, May 31, 1858.
Chapter 12: A Park Is Born“It is not only”:
New York Courier and Enquirer
, May 31, 1858.
149
blast caused the very first fatality:
Roy Rosenzweig and Elizabeth Blackmar,
The Park and the People
(Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1992), 166.
blast caused the very first fatality:
Roy Rosenzweig and Elizabeth Blackmar,
The Park and the People
(Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1992), 166.
149
“undignified tricks of disguise”:
FLO Jr. and Theodora Kimball, eds.,
Forty Years of Landscape Architecture
, vol. 2 (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1922), 268.
“undignified tricks of disguise”:
FLO Jr. and Theodora Kimball, eds.,
Forty Years of Landscape Architecture
, vol. 2 (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1922), 268.
149
To drain it:
David Karabell, Central Park tour guide, to JM, July 1, 2009.
To drain it:
David Karabell, Central Park tour guide, to JM, July 1, 2009.
151
“Passages of scenery”:
Sara Cedar Miller,
Central Park: An American Masterpiece
(New York: Abrams, 2003), 111.
“Passages of scenery”:
Sara Cedar Miller,
Central Park: An American Masterpiece
(New York: Abrams, 2003), 111.
151
On December 11, 1858:
Date of first day of skating drawn from
New York Tribune
, December 16, 1858.
On December 11, 1858:
Date of first day of skating drawn from
New York Tribune
, December 16, 1858.
152
Diocletian Lewis:
Notion that Lewis's ideas about outdoor fitness contributed to the park's popularity drawn from Clarence Cook,
A Description of the New York Central Park
(New York: Benjamin Blom, 1972), 64.
Diocletian Lewis:
Notion that Lewis's ideas about outdoor fitness contributed to the park's popularity drawn from Clarence Cook,
A Description of the New York Central Park
(New York: Benjamin Blom, 1972), 64.
152
rented for 10¢ an hour:
Rosenzweig and Blackmar,
The Park and the People
, 229.
rented for 10¢ an hour:
Rosenzweig and Blackmar,
The Park and the People
, 229.
152
armchairs for sliding:
New York Post
, January 28, 1862.
armchairs for sliding:
New York Post
, January 28, 1862.
152
“Many a young fellow”:
Guidebook quoted in Rosenzweig and Blackmar,
The Park and the People
, 231.
“Many a young fellow”:
Guidebook quoted in Rosenzweig and Blackmar,
The Park and the People
, 231.
152
Vaux went skating:
Francis Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 138.
Vaux went skating:
Francis Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 138.
153
“members of the homo genus”:
New York Herald
, December 20, 1858.
“members of the homo genus”:
New York Herald
, December 20, 1858.
153
“all ages, sexes and conditions”:
New York Times
, December 27, 1859.
“all ages, sexes and conditions”:
New York Times
, December 27, 1859.
153
“Masters Richard and William”:
New York Herald
, December 17, 1858.
“Masters Richard and William”:
New York Herald
, December 17, 1858.
153
“a democratic development”:
FLO to Parke Godwin, August 1, 1858, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:201.
“a democratic development”:
FLO to Parke Godwin, August 1, 1858, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:201.
154
“blessed dandelions”:
Cook,
Description of Central Park
, 107.
“blessed dandelions”:
Cook,
Description of Central Park
, 107.
154
boat right into the entrance:
Detail checked on December 1, 2010, by JM with Sara Cedar Miller, Central Park Conservancy.
boat right into the entrance:
Detail checked on December 1, 2010, by JM with Sara Cedar Miller, Central Park Conservancy.
154
Strauss waltzes to Rossini marches:
Examples of music taken from concert writeups that appeared in
New York Herald
, August 28, 1859;
New York Tribune
, September 3, 1860; and
New York Times
, October 9, 1860.
Strauss waltzes to Rossini marches:
Examples of music taken from concert writeups that appeared in
New York Herald
, August 28, 1859;
New York Tribune
, September 3, 1860; and
New York Times
, October 9, 1860.
155
orchestra play from the middle of the lake:
FLO Jr. and Kimball,
Forty Years of Landscape Architecture
, 2:414.
orchestra play from the middle of the lake:
FLO Jr. and Kimball,
Forty Years of Landscape Architecture
, 2:414.
155
clangs seemed to meld:
New York Herald
, July 31, 1859.
clangs seemed to meld:
New York Herald
, July 31, 1859.
155
“Sabbath cracker”:
Rosenzweig and Blackmar,
The Park and the People
, 255.
“Sabbath cracker”:
Rosenzweig and Blackmar,
The Park and the People
, 255.
156
thirty-four bridges and archways:
Bridge count from the
Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
(Winter 2008).
thirty-four bridges and archways:
Bridge count from the
Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
(Winter 2008).
157
“Nature first, second, and third”:
Calvert Vaux to Clarence Cook, June 6, 1865, quoted in Louise Chipley Slavicek,
New York City's Central Park
(New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009), 79.
“Nature first, second, and third”:
Calvert Vaux to Clarence Cook, June 6, 1865, quoted in Louise Chipley Slavicek,
New York City's Central Park
(New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009), 79.
157
“Vast and beautiful”:
New York Times
, September 3, 1859.
“Vast and beautiful”:
New York Times
, September 3, 1859.
157
“A royal work”:
Atlantic
, April 1861.
“A royal work”:
Atlantic
, April 1861.
157
“Well, they have left it”:
Cook,
Description of Central Park
, 110.
“Well, they have left it”:
Cook,
Description of Central Park
, 110.
157
240,000 trees:
Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
(Winter 2008).
240,000 trees:
Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
(Winter 2008).
158
“red-brown line; indigo-blue moulding”:
Fred B. Perkins,
The Central Park: Photographed by W. H Guild Jr. with Descriptions and a Historical Sketch by Fred B. Perkins
(New York: Carleton, 1864), 36â37.
“red-brown line; indigo-blue moulding”:
Fred B. Perkins,
The Central Park: Photographed by W. H Guild Jr. with Descriptions and a Historical Sketch by Fred B. Perkins
(New York: Carleton, 1864), 36â37.
158
naturalistic, allegorical, or merely whimsical:
Drawn in part from discussion of meaning of Mould carvings in Miller,
Central Park
, 49â53.
naturalistic, allegorical, or merely whimsical:
Drawn in part from discussion of meaning of Mould carvings in Miller,
Central Park
, 49â53.
158
Secretly, Olmsted thought Green:
FLO, manuscript fragment, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:57.
Secretly, Olmsted thought Green:
FLO, manuscript fragment, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:57.
159
“for a rainy day”:
FLO to Kingsbury, July 16, 1848.
“for a rainy day”:
FLO to Kingsbury, July 16, 1848.
160
On June 13, 1859:
Papers
, 3:11.
Chapter 13: Growling GreenOn June 13, 1859:
Papers
, 3:11.
161
“There is not one”:
FLO to JO, September 23, 1859.
“There is not one”:
FLO to JO, September 23, 1859.
161
“thoroughly worn-out”:
Ibid.
“thoroughly worn-out”:
Ibid.
161
lingo of the day for medicinal spirits:
Interview, JM with Terry Reimer, director of research, National Museum of Civil War Medicine, May 7, 2009.
lingo of the day for medicinal spirits:
Interview, JM with Terry Reimer, director of research, National Museum of Civil War Medicine, May 7, 2009.
162
After seeing him off:
Details of Mary watching boat depart contained in MPO to FLO, October 2, 1859.
After seeing him off:
Details of Mary watching boat depart contained in MPO to FLO, October 2, 1859.
163
“Dear little woman”:
FLO to MPO, October 6, 1859.
“Dear little woman”:
FLO to MPO, October 6, 1859.
163
On October 11:
Chronology and many details of trip drawn from FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, December 28, 1859, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:234â242, with annotations.
On October 11:
Chronology and many details of trip drawn from FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, December 28, 1859, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:234â242, with annotations.
164
“I must confess”:
MPO to FLO, October 10, 1859.
“I must confess”:
MPO to FLO, October 10, 1859.
164
“Green here.... He growled”:
MPO to FLO, October 24, 1859.
“Green here.... He growled”:
MPO to FLO, October 24, 1859.
164
“Upon my word Olmsted”:
Vaux to FLO, October 1859 [no day specified in letter].
“Upon my word Olmsted”:
Vaux to FLO, October 1859 [no day specified in letter].
165
a silver spoon:
Francis Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 140.
a silver spoon:
Francis Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 140.
166
“I return with greatly improved”:
FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, December 28, 1859, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:236.
“I return with greatly improved”:
FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, December 28, 1859, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:236.
166
“ignorant of a park, properly so-called”:
Olmsted monthly report to Central Park board of commissioners, read on October 13, 1857, reprinted in FLO Jr. and Theodora Kimball, eds.,
Forty Years of Landscape Architecture
, vol. 2 (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1922), 58.
“ignorant of a park, properly so-called”:
Olmsted monthly report to Central Park board of commissioners, read on October 13, 1857, reprinted in FLO Jr. and Theodora Kimball, eds.,
Forty Years of Landscape Architecture
, vol. 2 (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1922), 58.
166
$1.50-a-day salaries:
FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, November 13, 1860, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:282.
$1.50-a-day salaries:
FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, November 13, 1860, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:282.
166
derisively called “sparrow cops”:
Roy Rosenzweig and Elizabeth Blackmar,
The Park and the People
(Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1992), 242.
derisively called “sparrow cops”:
Roy Rosenzweig and Elizabeth Blackmar,
The Park and the People
(Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1992), 242.
166
The park keepers made 228 arrests:
FLO to Andrew Green, April 29, 1860.
The park keepers made 228 arrests:
FLO to Andrew Green, April 29, 1860.
166
No murders happened:
Rosenzweig and Blackmar,
The Park and the People
, 2.
No murders happened:
Rosenzweig and Blackmar,
The Park and the People
, 2.
167
“direct strangers to different”:
Notice posted in Keepers' Room, November 10, 1860, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:279.
“direct strangers to different”:
Notice posted in Keepers' Room, November 10, 1860, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:279.
167
“Central Park Visitors are Warned”:
Regulations for the Use of the Central Park
, drawn up by FLO, November 3, 1860, reprinted in ibid., 279.
“Central Park Visitors are Warned”:
Regulations for the Use of the Central Park
, drawn up by FLO, November 3, 1860, reprinted in ibid., 279.
167
“carriage rests”:
FLO Jr. and Kimball,
Forty Years of Landscape Architecture
, 2;413.
“carriage rests”:
FLO Jr. and Kimball,
Forty Years of Landscape Architecture
, 2;413.
168
“It is quite expensive”:
Andrew Green to FLO, November 12, 1860.
“It is quite expensive”:
Andrew Green to FLO, November 12, 1860.
168
“None were cut”:
FLO to Green, November 15, 1860.
“None were cut”:
FLO to Green, November 15, 1860.
168
“I recollect the willows”:
Green to FLO, November 15, 1860.
“I recollect the willows”:
Green to FLO, November 15, 1860.
169
“Although an error”:
Green to FLO, July 26, 1860.
“Although an error”:
Green to FLO, July 26, 1860.
169
“Just in the earliest”:
FLO to JO, June 14, 1860.
“Just in the earliest”:
FLO to JO, June 14, 1860.
169
“young pugilist”:
MPO to JO, June 29, 1860.
“young pugilist”:
MPO to JO, June 29, 1860.
170
Olmsted and Vaux as “landscape architects”:
Papers
, 2:267.
Olmsted and Vaux as “landscape architects”:
Papers
, 2:267.
170
“unconscious influence”:
Carla Yanni,
The Architecture of Madness: Insane Asylums in the United States
(Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007), 9.
“unconscious influence”:
Carla Yanni,
The Architecture of Madness: Insane Asylums in the United States
(Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007), 9.
171
Kill out the Lunatic Hospital:
John Butler to FLO, December 3, 1872.
Chapter 14: SwansKill out the Lunatic Hospital:
John Butler to FLO, December 3, 1872.
172
would surely kill him:
FLO to JO, October 21, 1860.
would surely kill him:
FLO to JO, October 21, 1860.
173
little John Theodore died:
Genealogy, FLO Papers, Library of Congress.
little John Theodore died:
Genealogy, FLO Papers, Library of Congress.
173
She took to her bed:
FLO to JO, October 21, 1860.
She took to her bed:
FLO to JO, October 21, 1860.
173
“Whilst expressing my deep regret”:
Mr. Asboth to FLO, 1860 [date unspecified in letter].
“Whilst expressing my deep regret”:
Mr. Asboth to FLO, 1860 [date unspecified in letter].
174
outlay of twelve and a half cents:
FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, January 22, 1861, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:307.
outlay of twelve and a half cents:
FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, January 22, 1861, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:307.
174
“a systematic small tyranny”:
FLO to Vaux, March 25, 1864.
“a systematic small tyranny”:
FLO to Vaux, March 25, 1864.
174 “
Not a cent”:
FLO to John Bigelow, February 9, 1861.
Not a cent”:
FLO to John Bigelow, February 9, 1861.
174
“I have fixed”:
FLO to JO, September 23, 1859.
“I have fixed”:
FLO to JO, September 23, 1859.
175
“It is humiliating to me, Sir”:
FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, January 22, 1861, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:297â319.
“It is humiliating to me, Sir”:
FLO to Central Park board of commissioners, January 22, 1861, reprinted in
Papers
, 3:297â319.
175
a reporter for the
New York World
:
New York World
, March 11, 1861.
a reporter for the
New York World
:
New York World
, March 11, 1861.
175
“The pitching appeared”:
New York Times
, October 9, 1860.
“The pitching appeared”:
New York Times
, October 9, 1860.
176
The reporter counted about forty:
New York World
, March 11, 1861.
Chapter 15: In Search of a MissionThe reporter counted about forty:
New York World
, March 11, 1861.
178
He considered joining the navy:
FLO to JO, April 16, 1861.
He considered joining the navy:
FLO to JO, April 16, 1861.
179
“the most powerful organization”:
William Maxwell,
Lincoln's Fifth Wheel: The Political History of the U.S. Sanitary Commission
(New York: Longmans, Green, 1956), preface by Allan Nevins, viii.
“the most powerful organization”:
William Maxwell,
Lincoln's Fifth Wheel: The Political History of the U.S. Sanitary Commission
(New York: Longmans, Green, 1956), preface by Allan Nevins, viii.
180
One of these outfits:
Charles Stillé,
History of the United States Sanitary Commission
(Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1866), 41â42.
One of these outfits:
Charles Stillé,
History of the United States Sanitary Commission
(Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1866), 41â42.
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