Coming back from a lovely walk in Central Park while getting to Myline's apartment. The cherry blossoms have bloomed, it is
magical!
We were talking about how much we love the city's oasis and how much it felt like....home. After some research, we were struck by how much the park's design was inspired by the gardens of Versailles! Did you know that Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the designers of Central Park, were inspired by the French style of landscaping when they created this beautiful oasis in the heart of the city?
Central Park itself offers a big French wink, a taste of French elegance right here in New York. It got us thinking about all the other ways that French culture has influenced this amazing city.
What is your #frenchwink moment in New York? Share it in the comments!
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To know more: Olmsted has visited the Versailles palace and its gardens during a trip to Europe in the 1850s, and he was particularly impressed by the way the landscape was designed to create different vistas and perspectives. When he and Vaux won the competition to design Central Park in 1858, they drew on this inspiration to create a park that was not just a natural oasis in the middle of the city, but also a work of art that offered a series of carefully composed views and landscapes. Some of the elements of the park, like the Mall and the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, were clearly inspired by some features of the gardens at Versailles. So, the French influence on Central Park's design is evident in many aspects of the park's layout and features.
