Then & Now: From Seneca Village & Croton Reservoir to the Modern Park
1. The Lower Reservoir → The Great Lawn (79th–86th St)
In 1858, Olmsted & Vaux were forced to design around the massive 35-acre rectangular stone walls of the 1842 Croton Receiving Reservoir. Drained in 1930 and filled with Rockefeller Center & 8th Ave Subway rock, it opened in 1937 as the 55-acre oval Great Lawn.
2. Seneca Village (82nd–89th St at 8th Ave)
Founded in 1825 by Andrew Williams and Epiphany Davis, Manhattan’s premier community of free Black property owners (225 residents, 3 churches, Colored School No. 3) was condemned by eminent domain in 1857 to clear the West Drive and Summit Rock.
3. The 106th to 110th Street Northern Extension
The original 1858 Greensward competition ended at 106th Street. In 1859, Olmsted & Vaux persuaded the Commissioners to acquire 65 more acres up to 110th Street so the park could include the dramatic cliffs of Blockhouse No. 1 and the Harlem Meer.