Carved Birds, Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, Manhattan
In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux laid out the plans for a terrace in the Greensward Plan, the master plan for Central Park. This would be the architectural “heart of the Park” defined by a sweeping Promenade that would culminate in a Terrace overlooking the Lake. An English-born Architect, Jacob Wrey Mould, is responsible for the decorative elements there. Mould’s carvings are in sandstone and many have natural motifs such as birds, fish, animals, and vegetation.
More Information:
- Central Park’s Official Site
- Forgotten New York
- Greensward Foundation
- Central Park Collection
- Jacob Wrey Mould Biography
- Frederick Law Olmsted Biography
- Calvert Vaux Biography
- Elizabeth Barlow Roger’s Extensive Central Park History
spectacular photos! when looking at your blog initially it was the photos that caught my eye. i now return for your commentary and those photos which continue to surprise. of course i love the quirky, entertaining entries. thanks!
try prospect park. same guy who designed it designed central park.
and prospect park he elminated his mistakes from central park.
Interesting.. thanks, Amy. I’m glad you like the site! It means a lot.
Miss E -I’ve been to Prospect Park.. it’s nice, I like it.
Great photos of the sandstone birds. I those bird sculptures. Funny how the color seems to fit – the last photo with the slight green back of the bird. I’ll have to check out the Bethesda Terrace. The sculptures at Columbus Circle are amazing too, by a different sculptor, an Italian artist, I believe.
ArthurE – Here’s a bit more info on the Maine Monument in Columbus Circle from a post I made (photos included) in September.
Hi;
Your photos are unbelievable beautiful. It makes me want to run to Central Park and take pictures (it’s 4:41 a.m. but I’m not that crazy! I’ll wait until daytime).