It’s a beautiful view of what looks like Harlem Meer at the North end of the park. Or is it supposed to be the reservoir, since there’s a fence around it?
This postcard look a little, well, off—with patchy trees and strangely blocky apartment buildings on the Fifth Avenue side.
The postmark is stamped 1952—almost 60 years ago.
Tags: aerial shot of Central Park, Central Park Reservoir, Central Park vintage postcards, Harlem Meer Central Park, New York in the 1950s
Ephemeral New York 
May 18, 2011 at 8:57 am |
But in the early 60’s there was no fence around the reservoir, just the rocks. It was very peaceful and nice. I remember a man in a white uniform selling ice cream and the kids around him. I sat on the rocks and at the ice cream.
May 18, 2011 at 5:55 pm |
the perspective seems very off: the gatehouses are the north ones, they wouldn’t align that way with 5th avenue, but that is 5th avenue. ps – in the small version of the picture i thought that mark in the middle was a crane.
July 18, 2016 at 9:27 pm |
The mark in the middle is a cancellation mark that copies from the card or letter preceding this one.
May 19, 2011 at 6:42 pm |
Been reading your blog alot, keep em up! 😀
May 19, 2011 at 7:06 pm |
Thank you!
May 21, 2011 at 3:01 am |
I’m sure that’s not Central Park. More like central casting.
May 24, 2011 at 5:13 pm |
The Meer has an island in the middle and rocky hills behind it, although this is an idealized picture, I think it must be the reservoir.
May 11, 2012 at 5:24 pm |
I know this is an old post so it’s probably weird that I’m leaving a comment now, but that is definitely the reservoir and not Harlem Meer. It’s taken from an off-angle but you see West Drive in the foreground as well as the bridle path. The two buildings with the red roofs on the left are the north pumphouses. You can also make out the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center along 5th Avenue towards the top left.