5. Never Built Parts of Prospect Park
The panic of 1873, a financial crisis that lasted for a few years, caused a scaling down of plans for Prospect Park. Only ongoing projects were allowed to be completed. This meant that structures designed by Calvert Vaux, like a restaurant to be called the Refectory, an observation tower modeled after Venice’s Piazza St. Marco bell tower, and a carriage concourse were never completed.
The Carriage Concourse was intended to have a 100-foot canopy that would offer shade for horses and carriages. A shelter next to the concourse also remained unbuilt. Though a handful of structures were left on the drawing board, there were also buildings constructed that are now gone from the park, such as a dairy and a menagerie. You can see 10 of these never-built structures in a previous article produced in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance.