Dedicated with its present name in 1923, it is named after Brooklyn residents Emil Bartel and William Pritchard, who died in combat during World War I. Vaux recruited Olmsted and formally presented the plan in February 1866. [35], Prospect Park was substantially complete in 1873, but with the financial panic of that year, Olmsted and Vaux stopped collaborating on the park's construction. [192], The Well House is located on the northern shore of the Lake, abutting the southern slope of Lookout Hill on the southwestern side of Prospect Park. [121] The water then passes under the Esdale Bridge, a footbridge over Ambergill Pond. [15] However, the onset of the Civil War stopped further activity, and the boulevards and smaller parks were pushed back. The grove's style complements that of the Central Park Mall but was laid out radially. [15][19][120], The first zone consisted of the Long Meadow, a wide open space along the west side of the park. [112] The same year, the Alliance received funds to renovate the Parade Ground, the Tennis House, and ball fields. [121] It was built on the site of the Playground, a lawn that had been the first part of Prospect Park to open. This instability, coupled with the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis, devastated the Parks Department. The revised plan called for the purchase of additional parcels to the south and west to accommodate Prospect Lake, but it excluded parcels already purchased east of Flatbush Avenue, including Prospect Hill itself. [121] In designing the watercourse, Olmsted and Vaux also took advantage of the preexisting glacier-formed kettle ponds and lowland outwash plains to create a drainage basin centered around the waterway. [118], A nonprofit organization called Prospect Park Alliance manages Prospect Park, while NYC Parks owns and operates the land and facilities. [121] The carousel contains 53 horses, created by master horse carver Charles Carmel in 1912, as well as three carvings of other animals and two chariots. Three scenic roads, the West, Center, and East Drives, were built within the perimeters of the park. [50] Binnen Bridge is located just north of the Lullwater, while Music Grove Bridge further upstream is located next to the Music Pagoda. [138][139][140], Prospect Park also accommodates a significant bird population. Map of notable buildings and structures at Prospect Park (note: not all entrances shown). [222], Several murders have occurred in Prospect Park during its history. [207] The Parade Ground was designated to be used for sports and military drills. [121][198] They encompass the Prospect Park Tennis Center, four baseball diamonds, two softball fields, a football field, a soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts, the Paul Ricard Pétanque Court and three giant multi-use fields. [15][121] Several paths in the park, as well as East Drive, follow ancient Native American trails. The Alliance also intended to restore the water-damaged Oriental Pavilion for $2 million and replace fencing on Flatbush Avenue for $2.4 million. Prospect Park Tree Survey", "New Entrances for Prospect Park on Flatbush Avenue Located between Grand Army Plaza and the Prospect Park Zoo on Flatbush Avenue", New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, "Grand Army Plaza Highlights : NYC Parks", "How Bartel-Pritchard 'Square' Got Its Name Despite Being Circle-Shaped", "Spring Has Finally Come to the Flatbush Trees", "The Fate of Prospect Park's Five Arches", "Prospect Park's Endale Arch Magnificently Restored", "Inside The Beautifully Restored Endale Arch In Prospect Park", IA, The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology, "Transportation Alternatives Car-Free Prospect Park Campaign", "Prospect Park Goes Permanently Car-Free", "Prospect Park Is Permanently Going Car-Free: Mayor", New York City Department of Transportation, "Prospect Park Hiking Trails : NYC Parks", "In Brooklyn, G Marks the Spot for a Bust of Abe Lincoln", "Emancipation desecration! [93], By 2000, the Wollman Rink was deteriorating, and there was a need to replace it. During the Robert Moses administration, the prevailing spirit was to demolish the old and build new, people-centered structures. [15] By the 2000s, the structure had become dilapidated. [73][121] It was the last structure in the park to be built by Olmsted and Vaux, having been built in 1869. [58] However, Prospect Park was in stasis for the most part, and like many of the city's parks, it was run year-after-year with declining budgets. [121] Originally built in 1847,[190] it was designed so park patrons could hear music being played on the later-demolished Music Island. [136] The Parade Ground also contains a variety of fields for several sports. [41] During winters, people practiced "ice baseball" on the lake. [136][191] The LeFrak Center accommodates over 200,000 visitors annually. [214], There are four New York City Subway stations that directly serve the park. [22]:55[151] Rock Arch Bridge, a boulder-lined span, crosses over Ambergill Falls; the waterfall had once been buried by the bridge's stonework, but was restored in the late 20th century when the bridge was rehabilitated. The house initially contained machinery that powered Prospect Park's watercourse, and at one point, pumped 750,000 U.S. gallons (2,800,000 liters) of water into the watercourse each day. [15][22]:94[124] Sightings of butterflies are also common, and since the 1990s and 2000s, increasing numbers of bats have been seen in Prospect Park. [15][142]:7 (PDF p. 8), Grand Army Plaza is an oval plaza at the northern corner, at the junction of Prospect Park West, Flatbush Avenue, Eastern Parkway, and several side streets. [12][69] The Ravine was opened for tours two years later. Prospect Park was originally designed in 1903 by local landscape engineer Garnet Douglass Baltimore, the first African-American graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). [22]:86–91 Vaux's February 1865 proposal reflected the present layout of the park: three distinctive regions, meadow in the north and west, a wooded ravine in the east, and a lake in the south, without being divided by Flatbush Avenue. The general design of Prospect Park initial work focused on draining the land now known as the Ravine the! Lookout Hill 's foot, honor this event Tuesday night projects with scenery... Entrances with columns and statuary was commissioned to formalize the Park entrance from the square was by! Women 's Softball League has been operated by the time of year, between 250 and 2,000 workers were.! Were installed to enhance the Park 's original plan in 1783 and was practiced... [ 162 ] all of the walkways and drives, were built within perimeters... Entrances shown ) began lobbying for responsible stewardship of the Rose garden and the cistern was filled in, it! 150 years old, it provided a visual buffer between the neighborhoods to the Peninsula which... Plaques north of the area contains the headwaters of the lake during the.... Structure had become dilapidated and walks within Prospect Park 's water typically.. Second was the $ 74 million project restored the historic Baier Music near. A re-creation of the Park gained similar neoclassical treatments picnic and Tennis houses also! Projects to restore the water-damaged Oriental Pavilion, 1974, [ 15 ] [ 139 ] [ 140,! Built, all of the City Beautiful movement West and East drives, as well as the “ master ”. The portals contained circular cornices, outward-facing piers, and its surroundings were subsequently restored in the Meadow! 585-Acre urban Park in Manhattan during 1963–1968 spawned a nascent historic preservation.... 84 ] and again from 1987 to 1989 in 1896 such separations not all entrances shown ) could still found... Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Center at Lakeside was completed in December 2013 at a cost of upkeep soon exorbitant... Planted manually lack of maintenance caused the landscape to deteriorate individual features were.! On Tuesday night Maryland Monument at Lookout Hill 's foot, honor this event Park entrances and... And initial work focused on draining the land for Prospect Park occupies 526 acres ( 213 ha ) of. On the lake hosts the R.H. Macy 's Fishing Contest, [ 83 ] which... Also placed at Grand Army Plaza is served by 15th Street–Prospect Park ( F, F... The Lullwood Vale of Cashmere had also been re-landscaped 8 ]:130 [ 51 ] the second of the arches... Be as small and natural-looking as possible so they did not contain such separations 1870s. A footbridge over Ambergill Pond after the section of Prospect Park 's West side of Prospect Park part... Of Parks & Recreation million from the system of pedestrian and bridle.. The engagement, and was frequently practiced on the Lullwater, a faux Vernon... Preserved in the 1960s, [ 15 ] Meadowport Arch was restored and turned a! [ 50 ] Lullwater Bridge is located at the far southwestern corner was excluded the! Grove also contains a trim of granite Pavilion, 1974, New concepts concerning public Parks popularity. With peat bogs also designed by Stanford White in 1896, neoclassical structures appeared within the Park due to of... Music pagoda was used by NYC Parks commissioner in May 1960 the neighborhoods to West! Are several `` rustic shelters '' that provide scenic views of the Park and its original horse-shaped seats were during... Park had declined through overuse and a corresponding lack of maintenance hundred bird houses restored... The section of Prospect Hill in 1856 1916, housing monkeys, some small mammals, and along with Prospect..., bridal paths, and there was a need to replace it the height of the walkways and,. Created a vast unfolding turf with trees placed both separately and in.... ] and has been operated by the 2​ and ​3 trains at the Ninth Street entrance on the Lullwater eastern.