One of the things that I love, love, LOVE about New York City is that is it chock full of so much incredible history. So, of course, I have to incorporate that fascination into my blog! So let’s start with a person who (perhaps unbeknownst to you) has had a huge impact on NYC as we know it.

You may not have ever heard of Calvert Vaux, but I can almost guarantee that you’ve enjoyed the fruits of his labor time and time again. Along with Frederick Law Olmstead, he was the co-designer of Central Park, Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park. He also created the initial master plan for the New York Botanical Garden (which is a positively magical place to visit, in case you haven’t been already). Vaux played a key role in establishing the significance of urban parks, and his aesthetics have greatly influenced the interactions between architecture and nature in the city today. So the next time you find yourself wandering through Central Park, give a bit of thanks to Vaux for creating such an amazing oasis.

For more about Calvert Vaux, visit https://www.centralparkhistory.com/whos_who/ and also check out The Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance (https://www.calvertvaux.org/), an organization dedicated to preserving the works of Vaux and his contemporaries.

And if you’re interested in more historical tidbits, check out this post about the origins of Battery Park and this post about the Old Stone House in Brooklyn.