2. The Dairy by Olmstead & Vaux

Dairy-Prospect Park-Olmstead and Vaux-Lost Structures-Robert Moses-NYCThe Dairy in Prospect Park. Photo from New York Public Library

The Dairy, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as part of the original design of the Park, was located on Sullivan Hill, just across from the Long Meadow. This cozy farmhouse attracted Park picnickers who stopped by to purchase glasses of fresh milk provided by the half-dozen cows that grazed on Long Meadow grasses. Pre-pasteurization, fresh milk was a near-delicacy for Brooklyn residents, accustomed to a gray, watery variety of milk produced by most city cows. According to David P. Colley in the book Prospect Park: Olmsted and Vaux’s Brooklyn Masterpiece, the Dairy also served delicacies corned-beef and tongue sandwiches, bread and cheese, sardines, picked oysters, biscuits, nuts, sweets, ice cream, and macaroons.

In 1935, the Dairy, in disrepair, was removed by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses.