Central Park Architecture: Enhancing the Human Experience of the Park

View of reopened restored Belvedere from the Great Lawn with new wood tower to the right. Photo by Denise Keaveney.

By Denise Keaveney, AIA

Denise Keaveney is a NYS registered architect with two decades of experience across a wide variety of project types. She established and was director of the architectural studio within Central Park Conservancy, overseeing the program of architectural restoration projects from design through to completion. A number of these projects are discussed here. Belvedere Castle received a Lucy G Moses Preservation Award in 2020 recognizing the work as Owner and Architect in preserving a NYC jewel.

Central Park is an iconic public landscape. It serves as New York City’s backyard, all 843 acres, while seeing millions of visitors each year.

When we think of Central Park we think of the beautiful landscapes – the Great Lawn, the location of so many epic performances, or the manicured gardens that are Shakespeare Garden and Conservatory Garden, or the Mall, a formal promenade that is ensconced with mature American Elms. We are less likely to think of buildings. Or maybe the Metropolitan Museum of Art located on the perimeter comes to mind. And that is just how the original architect, Calvert Vaux, saw architecture as it relates to Central Park stating, “nature first, second and third and architecture after a while”, making architecture subordinate to the landscape. This vision endures today under the stewardship of Central Park Conservancy, founded in 1980.

Here I will discuss smaller recently restored buildings within the Park each having a different use, design, construction type and period, and impact, highlighting some design decisions implemented that improve the intended use and serve to enhance the human experience of the Park overall.

Much of scope of the restoration work for these projects was consistent and typical. All three buildings – a castle, a bandshell and a comfort station – consist of masonry envelopes which had weathered, and deteriorated overtime. The masonry restoration scope included repointing, repairs, parapet reconstructions, select unit replacement, and masonry cleaning. Scope also included new waterproofing installations, and window, and door replacements to improve the performance of the building envelopes. This scope is fundamental to the preservation of the buildings and invariably lead to them being more visually pleasing than what they once were.

Belvedere Castle: A Feast For The Eyes

Belvedere, meaning “beautiful view” in Italian, is original to the Park, completed in 1870. Conceived by Park’s designers, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Calvert Vaux, as a “picturesque structure”. Once considered a focal point in the landscape with a direct line of sight from the Mall and Bethesda Terrace, drawing people towards it, from where they could enjoy beautiful views. Notably the landscape has greatly matured, and this line of sight no longer exists. 

Belvedere is situated atop the second highest point in Central Park, Vista Rock, and constructed of Manhattan schist with granite as accent stone. The base consists of larger schist units of brownish hues with beautiful inclusions in the rocks which marries with the prominent color of Visit Rock from which the structure emerges. The Belvedere had no functional use – it was a sight to look at and to look out from to take in the breathtaking views.

Visitors enjoy the views relished through the new single pane steel framed windows. Photo by by Denise Keaveney.

Belvedere became enclosed with the addition of windows and doors in 1919 when the National Weather Service moved into the building. At this time visitors to the Park no longer had access to building interior and upper terraces.

Since the founding of the Conservancy, the Belvedere has and continues to serve as one of the main visitor centers within the Park. It provides everchanging views of the surrounding landscapes with views of the Great Lawn to the north and The Ramble to the south. 

A century since first enclosed the completed restoration includes several design decisions, some of which are outlined below, that lend the visitor to have an enhanced experience of the building and the Park as an overall. 

When we view Belvedere from the north, there is a newly realized equilibrium of the Belvedere composition, by the addition of the long-lost tower component of the northwest pavilion. This tower counterbalances the existing stone tower of the castle. It was originally built of wood but only existed for less than two years before it became unstable and had to be removed. 

The reconstruction of this component addressed an awkward pinch point where one post of the existing pavilion rested on the terrace and did not float by sitting on the exiting parapet walls or piers as the entire pavilion originally did. Circulation now is no longer impeded by this post – people no longer must navigate around it.

To reconstruct the tower, our structural engineers got imaginative, and introduced steel members to facilitate construction of new tower – note that the tower in itself is wood. The existing wood framed structure was modified by the introduction of steel to receive the new tower. The steel is clad in wood however, so the overall aesthetic is still of a “wooden” structure.

A visitor takes in the beautiful views of the landscape looking north onto the Great Lawn and Turtle Pond. Photo by Denise Keaveney.

To maximize the area of unobstructed glazing (and view), slim steel sections frame single pane pivot windows on the first floor. These frames follow the contour of the pointed trefoil arches. Note that each pointed trefoil arche is slightly different and each window fabricated, partly by hand, to specifically fit into its opening. All other windows are steel frame – some fixed and some casements. The design of these windows maximizes the view out from the castle enhancing the experience for the visitor.

From a distance the new steel windows do not appear to exist echoing the original design intent of it being an open-air structure – an architectural folly. Again, the slim dark steel frames together with low reflectivity glazing helps achieve this. To help maintain this beautiful view we introduced interior leaders for primary terrace drainage keeping the reconstructed scuppers as emergency back-up per code. What this serves to do is avoid the discharge of storm water onto the main façade creating stains and deposits overtime that sully the view. The interior leaders penetrate the spaces (see photo above) exposed, inboard of the solid masonry walls. 

Work included the installation of all new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems within the building. Now visitors can get reprieve from hot summers and cold winters. Conditioning the interior is accomplished by a closed loop geothermal system, with (3) 400’ bores drilled into the rock atop of which Belvedere sits. The loop connects to a high-efficiency water source heat pump in the basement from which refrigerant circulates to several fan coil units throughout the building. All efforts were made to conceal piping to these units, and to minimize impact on the newly restored interior (interior side of solid masonry shell was also cleaned, repaired). This system negates the need for exterior equipment and the site helped informed selection of this system.

Naumburg Bandshell: A Stage For All

Disabilty Unite Festival set up on stage at Naumburg Nandshell in 2022. Photos by Denise Keaveney.

The Naumburg Bandshell, located on the north end of the Mall, was not part of the original design for the Park. It replaced a smaller music cast-iron bandstand, intended to be a place for visitors to gather and enjoy both popular and orchestral music. The neo-classical design commissioned and funded by philanthropist Ethan Naumburg, designed by Tachau & Vought Architects, is a structural concrete structure clad in limestone on the exterior and precast concrete on stage interior.

A Fry Cry perform as part of the Numburg Orchestral Series during Summer 2022. Photo by Denise Keaveney.

While the Naumburg Bandshell has a storied past it has endured and will celebrate its 100th year anniversary next year! A comprehensive restoration project commenced before the start of the pandemic and completed June 2021, for the start of the Naumburg Orchestral Concert series. This restoration ensures that it will continue to be a place for performance and a place that brings people together for decades to come. With the required replacement of the stage wall with precast units, one of our consultants fondly compared the completed restoration to an oyster shell – gleaming interior of the stage compared to the patinaed exterior shell.

During the work we discovered part of a newspaper that was buried when the structure was built – the Buffalo Express, Saturday, August 18, 1923, which included a piece titled ‘Want Governor to Investigate Gasoline Prices’ which is just as applicable today as it was a century ago!

While it is home to the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, celebrating 117th year this year, offering free classical music concerts, many other events take place here. It is worth noting that no permanent intervention for accessibility was made to the structure as part of the restoration, except for handrails at the steps. This allows the structure to remain flexible in its use with access to the stage from the rear as well as the front with the placement of temporary steps and platform lift (as can be seen in photo) depending on the needs of the event.

 Merchant’s Gate Comfort Station: “Where Is The Nearest Restroom?”

Have you ever been in the Park and needed the use of a restroom? There now is a year-round accessible restroom located at Central Park West and 61st Street with access from within the Park.

This building originally built in the late 1920’s, for storage with the flat roof serving as a terrace. On the public terrace accessible from CPW once stood a stand from which milk was dispensed. The building can be seen as a projection of the perimeter wall into the Park creating an almost “square box”. Construction of 8th Avenue subway tunnel was well under way before construction of this building commenced. The building hence “overlaps” and “wraps” the subway tunnel in a way. At some point the building was converted into a public restroom, remaining largely untouched since the 1970’s until this comprehensive restoration was completed in 2019.

The goal of the project was to maximize the available space to house year-round accessible public restrooms, an irrigation pump, while maintaining existing MTA utility access hole structure. This required a compete gut renovation of the interior with new interior layout wrapping around the existing MTA structure, creating space for mechanical and other equipment.

Merchants Gate Comfort Station with lite porch giving access to restrooms. Photo by Denise Keaveney.

As one of our consultants put it, we put the “comfort” back in Comfort Station. With the installation of a new mechanical system the restrooms are now fully conditioned. By accommodating an unconditioned heat pump room into the program for the space there is no exterior mechanical equipment. 

Now universally accessible from Merchant’s Gate Plaza (most southwest entrance to Park), by regrading the path from the plaza to building entrances to align with the existing and retained floor elevation. The accessible path makes it accessible for people with disabilities, while also making it easier for parents with strollers. The restrooms are now also fully accessible and year-round drinking fountains are placed adjacent to the building. 

Part of the brief was to house an irrigation pump within the building that serves to irrigate the adjacent landscape. Careful consideration to place equipment within existing buildings where feasible and not require placement within the landscape is a win-win for all – building complements and in this case nourishes the landscape.

So, whether you are a New Yorker, one of the millions of visitors that come to experience the Park each year, or still to make a visit, you will leave in awe of the genius of the original Park designers. They recognized the importance of parks as places where people would go to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life – a place of respite!

These projects were made possible by the philanthropic work of the Conservancy and City funds and the talent of in-house Conservancy design staff, and the added expertise of consultants. Supported by thoughtful open discussion of various perspectives, we reached an informed successful balance in preserving existing buildings with modern sensitive interventions enhancing the overall human experience of Central Park. 

Structural: Old Structures Engineering, PC (OSE)

MEP: Landmark Facilities Group, Inc. (LFG)

Civil: McLaren Group

Architectural Conservator: Integrated Conservation Resources, Inc. (ICR)

Architectural Lighting: Cline Betteridge Bernstein Lighting Design (CBB)

Code Consultant/Expeditor: NYCCODE, LLC

Cost Estimator: Slocum Construction Consulting, Inc.

Building Scientist: Christine Williamson

For additional information on these projects and much more visit Central Park Conservancy website: https://www.centralparknyc.org/restoration