Central Park

==== Late 1850s ====
[[File:The Lake Central Park.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|alt=The Lake in Central Part with a high-rise building in the background|The Lake, one of the first features of Central Park to be completed]]
In late August 1857, workers began building fences, clearing vegetation, draining the land, and leveling uneven terrain.{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=161–162}}{{sfn|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|1858|loc=PDF pp. 31–35}} By the following month, chief engineer Viele reported that the project employed nearly 700 workers.{{sfn|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|1858|loc=PDF pp. 31–35}} Olmsted employed workers using [[day labor]], hiring men directly without any contracts and paying them by the day.{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=159–160}} Many of the laborers were [[Irish diaspora|Irish immigrants]] or first-or-second generation [[Irish Americans]], and some [[German Americans|Germans]] and [[Italian Americans|Italians]];{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=173–175}} there were no black or female laborers.{{sfn|Taylor|2009|pp=282–283}}{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=176–177}} The workers were often underpaid,{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=176–177}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1857/12/11/archives/newyork-city-dr-charles-mackay-on-english-songs-and-songwriters.html |title=New York City; Dr Charles Mackay, on English Songs and Song-Writers|date=December 11, 1857|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 7, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407020321/https://www.nytimes.com/1857/12/11/archives/newyork-city-dr-charles-mackay-on-english-songs-and-songwriters.html|archive-date=April 7, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and workers would often take jobs at other construction projects to supplement their income.{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=178–179}} A pattern of seasonal hiring was established, wherein more workers would be hired and paid at higher rates during the summers.{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=176–177}}

For several months, the park commissioners faced funding issues,<ref name="NYS-1911">{{cite book |chapter=Sixteenth Annual Report, 1911, of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society |title=First-thirtieth Annual Report ... 1896–1925 to the Legislature of the State of New York |year=1911 |publisher=American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0KhIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA474 474]}}</ref>{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=151–152}} and a dedicated workforce and funding stream was not secured until June 1858.<ref name="NYS-1911"/> The landscaped [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir|Upper Reservoir]] was the only part of the park that the commissioners were not responsible for constructing; instead, the Reservoir would be built by the Croton Aqueduct board. Work on the Reservoir started in April 1858.{{sfn|Heckscher|2008|pp=47–48}} The first major work in Central Park involved grading the driveways and draining the land in the park's southern section.{{sfn|Kinkead|1990|p=31}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1858/11/11/archives/the-central-park-progress-of-the-workits-present-condition-and-the.html |title=The Central Park; Progress of the Work—Its Present Condition, and the Prospects of its being Opened to the Public|date=November 11, 1858|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 2, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411222607/https://www.nytimes.com/1858/11/11/archives/the-central-park-progress-of-the-workits-present-condition-and-the.html|archive-date=April 11, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The Lake in Central Park's southwestern section was the first feature to open to the public, in December 1858,{{sfn|Kinkead|1990|pp=32–33}} followed by the Ramble in June 1859.{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=166–167}}{{sfn|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|1859|p=10 (PDF p. 11)}} The same year, the New York State Legislature authorized the purchase of an additional {{convert|65|acre|ha}} at the northern end of Central Park, from 106th&nbsp;to 110th&nbsp;Streets.{{sfn|Kinkead|1990|pp=32–33}}{{sfn|New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|1859|p=23 (PDF p. 25)}} The section of Central Park south of 79th&nbsp;Street was mostly completed by 1860.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1860/05/01/archives/central-park-matters-plan-of-work-for-the-year-summer-features-of.html |title=Central Park Matters; Plan of Work for the Year |date=May 1, 1860|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404170136/https://www.nytimes.com/1860/05/01/archives/central-park-matters-plan-of-work-for-the-year-summer-features-of.html|archive-date=April 4, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

The park commissioners reported in June 1860 that $4&nbsp;million had been spent on the construction to date.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1860/06/28/archives/the-central-park-investigation-examination-of-mr-olmsted.html |title=The Central Park Investigation; Examination of Mr. Olmsted|date=June 28, 1860|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 9, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As a result of the sharply rising construction costs, the commissioners eliminated or downsized several features in the Greensward Plan.{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=184–186}} Based on claims of cost mismanagement, the New York State Senate commissioned the Swiss engineer Julius Kellersberger to write a report on the park.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1860/11/23/archives/the-central-park-investigation-expenses-and-general-management.html |title=The Central Park Investigation; Expenses and General Management|date=November 23, 1860|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 9, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Kellersberger's report, submitted in 1861, stated that the commission's management of the park was a "triumphant success".{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|pp=188–189}}{{sfn|Heckscher|2008|pp=37–38}}

{{wide image|Annual report of the Board of Commissioners of the Central Park (1858) (18246225410).jpg|800px|alt=Map showing improvements to the park in 1858|Map of improvements underway by 1858|align-cap=center}}