5. The Great Lawn at Central Park (and more)

The famous stories of Moses’ dogmatism pervade even Central Park, where he ordered bulldozers to raze a playground next to Tavern on the Green at night, in the face of community opposition. But Moses brought much to the park, which as the New York Times noted in 2007, “was dotted with fetid Hoovervilles” during the Depression. As the Times continues, “When he was appointed city parks commissioner at the height of the Depression…Moses reseeded lawns, planted flowers, repaved walks, transformed the old Croton Reservoir into the Great Lawn and built a necklace of public playgrounds along the edges of the park, as well as ball fields and the Wollman Memorial Skating Rink.”

Take our tour of the Secrets of Central Park:

Secrets of Central Park Walking Tour