A Green Place to Be by Ashley Benham Yazdani

This delightful slice of history shows the hard work and careful planning that went into one of the world’s great outdoor public spaces, New York City’s ‘vibrant jewel.’ Yazdani’s mesmerizing watercolor and pencil art teems with fascinating details as it makes the park’s past and present seem unified, driving home the importance of creating and preserving ‘quiet green spots in a fast-changing world.’ Included in the end matter are bios of Vaux and Olmsted, a bibliography, and engaging factual snippets. Meanwhile, sculptors, stone masons, and master gardeners joined in to construct thirty-four unique bridges, along with fountains, pagodas, and band shells, making New York's Central Park a green gift to everyone. By the next summer, the waterside woodland known as the Ramble opened for all to enjoy. When a citywide contest solicited plans for creating a park out of barren swampland, Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted put their heads together to create the winning design, and the hard work of making their plans a reality began. The people needed a green place to be - a park with ponds to row on and paths for wandering through trees and over bridges.

In 1858, New York City was growing so fast that new roads and tall buildings threatened to swallow up the remaining open space. How did Central Park become a vibrant gem in the heart of New York City? Follow the visionaries behind the plan as it springs to green life.

A Green Place to Be by Ashley Benham Yazdani