Most New Yorkers know this body of water as a the sailboat pond, a peaceful spot near Central Park’s East 72nd Street entrance that often has toy sailing boats gliding along the surface.
But Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the park’s brilliant designers, conceived it as the “Conservatory Water,” a pond that was originally supposed to be part of a large glass conservatory, or greenhouse.
Financial problems made building the conservatory impossible. But the water remains, a lovely place to sit and enjoy the park’s gentle beauty.
Tags: Calvert Vaux, Central Park boat pond, Central Park Conservatory Water, Central Park design, Frederick Law Olmsted, Sailboat pond central park, sailboats in Central Park, Vintage postcards New York City
Ephemeral New York 
May 14, 2015 at 8:55 pm |
The guys of the Central Park Model Yacht Club would surely bristle at the use of the word “toy.” I spent many happy Saturday mornings up there in the late sixties-early seventies climbing trees, sculptures and playing while my father stalked around the pond muttering about how his model boat wouldn’t tack.
December 11, 2017 at 8:13 am |
This evening, I’ve awaken with so many recollections. See the highlight of “Miniature yachts set sail inside Central Park” allowed me to revisit my own adventures at the Conservatory Pond. I had a red hulled sail boat with white sails. It was around 1965 and I and my cousins would chase and blow, attempting to change the winds by will, the persistent return back to shore…or wait and wait even more, for the doldrums to end so we could be back for dinner.
October 7, 2019 at 5:13 am |
[…] glance “Central Park Autumn,” from 1910, seems placid and benign; we’re at the boat pond close to East 73rd Street, a favorite of parkgoers then and […]
October 7, 2019 at 9:34 am |
[…] first glance “Central Park Autumn,” from 1910, seems placid and benign; we’re at the boat pond close to East 73rd Street, a favorite of parkgoers then and […]
September 11, 2022 at 11:23 pm |
[…] climbable statue of Andersen reading The Ugly Ducking has always attracted kids, as does the model boat pond right nearby. One of the two Alice in Wonderland-themed statues in Central Park is steps away. So is Pilgrim […]