Prospect Park in Brooklyn

Olmsted and Vaux were NOT classical designers. They were consummate Romantics and Vaux was a Gothic Revivalist. They strenuously opposed Richard Morris Hunt’s proposal for a grand Beaux-Arts entrance to Central Park. Yet, in the 1890s, the City (soon to be Borough) of Brooklyn undertook a series of classical entrances—by McKim, Mead & White—around the whole periphery of Olmsted & Vaux’s masterpiece, Prospect Park. What’s more, a number of classical structures—Stanford White’s peristyle, Helmle & Huberty’s Boathouse, etc.—were inserted into the park. This tour looks at these things, and explores the whys and wherefores.