New York, U.S.A. — On October 23, John A. Paulson and the Paulson Family Foundation announced a gift of $100 million to the Central Park Conservancy to sustain the fundamental role of Central Park as one of New York City’s leading cultural institutions and the world’s most extraordinary public park.

Mr. Paulson’s donation is the largest gift ever made to the Central Park Conservancy. It is also the largest gift to any public park and one of the largest ever made to a New York City cultural institution. It will sustain and advance the innovation of the Conservancy’s management and maintenance practices and allow for improvements to park-wide infrastructure, Central Park’s 21 playgrounds, 130 acres of woodlands, five visitor centers, and youth and family programming and recreation facilities.

The Conservancy’s management practices will be sustained and developed as a model for public-private partnerships locally and worldwide. Already, the Conservancy’s model has influenced the management of public spaces such as Prospect Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Battery Park in New York City.

Mr. Paulson’s gift comes at a time of unprecedented use of Central Park: with more than 40 million annual visitors, Central Park is visited by more people than any other New York City cultural institution.

“Central Park was created by two individuals – Olmsted and Vaux – in 1858. In 1980, a group of individuals banded together to restore it to its long-forgotten glory,” said Doug Blonsky, President and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy. ”Today, John joins these visionaries to sustain Central Park well into the future. This has always been a park designed for and sustained by the people – a celebration of the people’s right to relax, reflect and celebrate. John shares that vision, and thanks to him Central Park’s purpose will endure.”

“It is a great privilege to be able to contribute to the Central Park Conservancy, one of the most important cultural institutions in New York,” said Mr. Paulson. ”The Conservancy is responsible for transforming and sustaining Central Park as the celebration of culture, nature and democracy that it is today. It is my hope that today’s contribution will help it endure and flourish and inspire others to join me in ensuring that the Park continues to receive the support it needs to be this city’s greatest asset.”

“Over the past 33 years, the Central Park Conservancy has led the world’s most significant public park into the longest period of sustained health in its history,” said Thomas L. Kempner, Jr., Chairman of the Central Park Conservancy’s Board of Trustees. ”John’s gift helps ensure that its excellence endures for generations to come and acknowledges its importance to the cultural and economic health of New York City.”

“This generous gift will ensure that the park remains as Frederick Olmsted and Calvert Vaux envisioned it a century and a half ago: a peaceful oasis right in the middle of the busiest city in the world, and a community gathering place that is experienced by all New Yorkers on equal grounds, regardless of background or walk of life,” said Mayor Bloomberg. ”Central Park has an enormous economic impact on our city – 40 million annual visitors generating $1 billion in economic activity – and that’s in large part due to the great work of the Central Park Conservancy, the Parks Department and the New York City Police Department, who have worked together since 1980 to restore Central Park to its glory and take it to new heights.”

“During the past 30 years, Central Park has been transformed into the work of art envisioned by Olmsted and Vaux, thanks to the City’s partnership with the Central Park Conservancy,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Veronica M. White. “This exceptionally generous donation from John A. Paulson will help ensure that Central Park flourishes for years to come.”

John Paulson is the President and Portfolio Manager of Paulson & Co., a New York headquartered investment management firm with additional offices in London and Hong Kong. Mr. Paulson serves on the Board of Trustees of New York University; Board of Trustees of the Spence School; the Deans Advisory Board of the Harvard Business School; the Board of Directors of the 92nd Street Y; the Board of the Partnership for New York City; the Board of Trustees of the Central Park Conservancy; and the Chairman’s Circle of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Since 1980, the Central Park Conservancy has managed the investment of nearly $700 million into Central Park, almost $550 million of which was raised by the Conservancy from hundreds of thousands of individuals, corporations and foundations for the Park’s restoration and maintenance. The Conservancy is responsible for the physical management of the Park along with its funding, privately fundraising more than 80 percent of Central Park’s $45.8 million annual budget.

For 153 years, Central Park has been the people’s park. Thanks to the vision and generosity of benefactors like John Paulson, Central Park’s future as the park New York City needs and deserves is secure.

Image Courtesy of David W. Leindecker / Shutterstock.com

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Although New York City is known internationally as one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, there are many beautiful parks scattered across the city for people to enjoy. In between the soaring skyscrapers and continuous hustle and bustle of the city, New Yorkers are able to find some solace in relaxing parks.

Outdoor spaces can be found throughout all five boroughs of the city and are great places to get away from the city lifestyle. One of the most famous parks in New York City is Central Park. Located in Manhattan, Central Park can be accessed from Midtown, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side.

The park originally opened in 1857 and has been a main attraction for tourists and residents ever since. More than 30 million people visit Central Park each year but the massive 843 acre park is also one of the best ways to enjoy outdoor space in New York City. Tucked inside the park are a wide variety of recreational activities for all ages to enjoy.

There are miles of trails for joggers, walkers, and bicyclists to explore. Expansive fields stretch across the park where people can play an array of sports, including football, baseball and soccer. During the winter season, two ice skating rinks open in Central Park, a highlight for children and adults.

The famous Central Park Zoo is also an exciting destination within the park to catch glimpses of anything from seals to polar bears. Central Park is New York City’s playground, especially during the summer. The annual Summer Stage is one of the most anticipated outdoor concert series in New York City.

International superstars in music, dance and theater have performed at Summer Stage. Central Park offers an enormous amount of activities and is one of the most beautiful spots throughout New York City. Across the East River in Brooklyn is another famous park. Prospect Park sits at the heart of Brooklyn and is a smaller version of Central Park.

Frederick Law Olmsted created both parks and has given both Manhattan and Brooklyn similar outdoor spaces to enjoy. Built in 1867, Prospect Park is 585 acres of green space where people can relax in isolation from the busy city streets. Located within Prospect Park is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a magnificent spot to learn about wild plants and flowers.

Similarly to Central Park, Prospect Park also has a zoo and an ice skating rink inside its boundaries. Horseback riding can be seen on certain paths throughout the park, along with sports enthusiasts enjoying the track and fields spread across the park. A unique outdoor space in Queens is the Socrates Sculpture Garden.

It has been designed specifically to showcase art and sculptures. Located in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, the Socrates Sculpture Garden is a wonderful spot in New York City to spend time outdoors while taking in some artwork from the city’s talented artists.

The outdoor area was once an abandoned piece of land that has now become a beautiful park. Creativity and expression are the main focus of the park and an artist residency program is now offered. Another park that transforms a former abandoned area into one of the most popular parks in New York City is the High Line.

This park was created on elevated train tracks that are no longer in use. The High Line runs north to south along the west side of Manhattan, cutting through the trendy neighborhoods of the Meat Packing District and Chelsea. The narrow park offers views of the Hudson River and is a distinct outdoor space in New York City.

The High Line is popular for its progressive design and conscious measures to preserve the history of the elevated train tracks. Public art and local food vendors are often seen during a stroll through the High Line. New York City has plenty of unique parks throughout its boroughs. When the city lifestyle gets too hectic, there’s always an outdoor area to relax just around the corner
Marcio Jose Bastos Silva / Shutterstock.com

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