An in-depth and detailed history of Central Park. Absolutely fascinating overall although I admit that sometimes the sheer mass of detail felt a bit overwhelming, and I was less interested in some parts than others. But that’s me rather than the book which is a magisterial work of city, garden and social history.

Having been in and out of Central Park since I was a small child, I knew that any history of the park would be extensive and fascinating. I was very impressed by the amount and depth of the research that went into this book! It would totally work as a textbook for a course on Central Park which surely one of the NYC colleges must offer. If not, they now have the perfect tool for doing so.

Author Sara Cedar Miller first joined the Central Park Conservancy as a photographer in 1984 and has written extensively about Central Park in New York City. Her research and knowledge about the park land and surrounding areas is extensive. A definitive work, "Before Central Park" is divided into three parts: Topography; Real Estate; and The Idea of a Park. Black and white maps, paintings, photographs, and genealogical charts illustrate the text.

From the first European settlers (1625 - 1664) to the wars fought there, to issues of eminent domain, all are discussed in detail. Especially fascinating are the stories of the people who lived there, some better known than others, whose achievements and losses are recorded here.

After the Revolution, New York's population exploded and land values soared. In 1811 a grid was put in place for the construction of roads. 40% of the homes were found to be in the middle of streets.

Especially of interest is the detailed story of Seneca Village, a community formed by free black Americans in 1825. They dispersed when the land was cleared in 1856 in preparation for the park.

As New York grew, it became apparent that there was not much green space and the city fathers looked to London and Paris.

The first battle was a five year process to choose a site and legalize it. The second battle was over its design.

In 1858 the landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, presented their romantic ideas for the park creating a green space all could enjoy.

Highly recommended. A readable and fascinating history of an iconic landmark.

My thanks to the publisher, Columbia University Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I have been interested in the history of Central Park for a long time. Years ago, I read a book that provided an in-depth study of the park's features, along with drawings of said features. What it did not cover was the people who used to live in what became Central Park. "Before Central Park" provides that story in minute detail. Miller gives a topographical explanation of the land, then goes on to give a thorough history of the individuals that lived on that land. Of particular interest to me was her discussion of the African American community that lived in the park, in what is known now as Seneca Village. This book was the first time I was able to read about this community in depth, and it was definitely a treat for me. Fans of social history, with architectural and landscape history mixed in, will devour this book. It is true tour de force!

On this site. . . . a lot happened

Before Central Park is a fascinating account of how Central Park came to be; it also uses the park (and “pre-park”) as a remarkably effective vehicle for telling the story of the United States. The book starts off a bit slowly—as in, at least as far back as the Cenozoic period (because the typography matters a lot in this story). Miller moves fairly quickly through the Colonial and Revolutionary eras, to focus primarily on the 19th century. The history of the land and its transformation to park encompasses enslavement and freedom; political life and enfranchisement and disenfranchisement; agriculture (including the “free produce” movement that was intended to reduce reliance on goods produced through enslaved labor); economic shifts and labor history; education; religion and burial customs; immigration and nativist sentiment; the displacement of peoples, from Native Americans to Black property holders; public health; environmental destruction and conservation; and infrastructure such as water and sanitation.

The descriptions of the parkland and surrounding environs are quite vivid—the description of sugar refining and bone boiling, for example). There are also plenty of examples of Manhattan real estate mania, as well as dramatic reversals of fortune, cons, corruption, and trickery.

I was most interested in the history of Seneca Village, a community of Black property owners, and the book delivers on that.

Some famous characters, of course, make appearances, but Miller also introduces us to every day individuals and their lives. In addition to African American history, she also focuses on women’s history—including some women who should be more well-known, such as Lanaw Benson, who became the first African-American to own land in the pre-park—using the purchase to free herself from enslavement; real estate mogul Elizabeth Gloucester, who became one of the wealthiest Black women of her day in the mid-19th century; and Mary Pinkney, one of the wealthiest women in the country at the time of her death in 1908 (again through shrewd real estate investments and tax strategy), but dismissed by the NYT in her obituary as a “spinster.”

The book is extensively researched and thoroughly documented. It is possible that no one knows more about Central Park and its history than the author, who is historian emerita and former official photographer at the Central Park Conservancy.

One of the most comprehensive and interesting overviews of the area in and around what is now Central Park. Sara brings to life key figures without straying into a biography, and draws the strands of history, relationships, topography, climate and culture into a fine quilt illuminating these aspects that unite to form Central Park and so much more of New York's and American history and culture. This could likely be a college course on its own, and certainly it fills in gaps of knowledge or unattached strands other books have dealt with in a less satisfying way.