Celebrating 125 Years @ NYPL with Local History: Elizabeth Barlow Rogers—Saving Central Park: A History

Join us in welcoming Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, president of the Foundation for Landscape Studies, as she discusses her own story and a comprehensive history of Central Park: its design and construction as a scenic masterpiece; the alterations of each succeeding era; the addition of numerous facilities for sports and play; and finally, the “anything goes” phase of the 1960s and 70s, which was often fun but nearly destroyed the park. These two narratives continue to entwine as she finds a job in the administration of Central Park, founds the Central Park Conservancy, and transforms both the park and herself–a transformation that has led to the writing of her many books, to travels that have taken her to parks and gardens around the world, and to solidifying the prestige of one of New York’s most conspicuous landmarks.