Construction North Woods and North Meadow, located between
97th and
110th Streets in Central Park, were among the last parts of the park to be built. the northernmost four blocks between
106th and 110th Streets were not even purchased until 1859. At the time, the northwestern corner of the park was a rocky forest, while the northeastern corner (now the
Harlem Meer) was a swamp. Work had started on the northern section of the park by 1864, but was complicated by a need to preserve the historic
McGowan's Pass on the northeastern corner of the park. The topography in the northern section of Central Park was not altered as much as that in the southern section of the park: workers created drives and paths, as well as the Pool, Loch, and Harlem Meer, but did not modify much of the landscape.
Late 19th and early 20th centuries For the first few decades of Central Park's existence, it was forbidden to play most sports in Central Park, because Olmsted and Vaux believed that the park should be used for scenic enjoyment rather than recreation. and immigrant families began hosting picnics in North Meadow by the 1920s. In 1902, the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company excavated a
subway tunnel at a deep level underneath the Great Hill, North Woods and North Meadow, as part of its
Lenox Avenue Line (present-day ). In 1910, in conjunction with Central Park's growing recreational use,
New York City Board of Aldermen president
John Purroy Mitchel suggested placing a swimming pool and recreational center in the North Meadow. However, parks commissioner
Charles Stover opposed the plan, and it was ultimately dropped. After the plan was cancelled, another proposal was made that would replace the "comfort station", refreshment stand, and storage shed in North Meadow with a single recreational center. During the project, North Meadow was fenced in, and new trees and shrubs were added. Another plan in the 1920s called for a playground in the northern section of Central Park, near the North Woods. Ultimately, the West 110th Street Playground was built at the site. Under NYC Parks commissioner
Robert Moses, athletic fields were constructed in the North Meadow in the 1930s, When completed in 1966, the facility served as an ice rink in winter and Central Park's only swimming pool in summer.
Restoration By the late 1960s, the Loch had deteriorated to such an extent that the
cascades along its route had dried up, and the stream was jokingly referred to as "the Trickle". The Great Hill was also rundown, The area gained notoriety in April 1989 due to the
Central Park jogger case. A white female jogger was badly beaten and raped at night in the North Woods, when 30-32 youths from East Harlem were known to have been roaming through the park, and accosting and sometimes assaulting eight other persons. According to
The New York Times, the attack was "one of the most widely publicized crimes of the 1980s". A group of four black and one Hispanic teenagers, who became known as the "
Central Park Five", were convicted of this and another assault, and sentenced to years in prison. Their convictions were vacated after another man confessed to the crime in 2002, his DNA matched that found in semen at the scene, and the DA's office conducted an investigation of other elements of the evidence. Following the female jogger attack and other assaults in the park that night, the
Central Park Conservancy organized the Citizens Task Force on the Use and Security of Central Park. The task force published a report that suggested reverting the North Meadow's baseball fields to a lawn, though this was strongly opposed by athletes who used these ball fields. Improvements to the northern end of the park began around this time. Areas of the North Woods was cleared and replanted, and programs to minimize erosion were set up. In 1994, the Conservancy announced a $71.5 million program to restore several portions of the park. The projects included adding drainage systems and reseeding the North Woods and North Meadow. The North Meadow Recreation Center was renovated again from 1998 to 2000. The West 110th Street playground was restored in 2006.
JPMorgan Chase later donated $1 million to replace the trees. A $150 million renovation of Lasker Rink was officially announced in 2018, requiring that the rink be closed between late 2021 and 2024. As part of the plan, the portion of the Loch and Harlem Meer under the lake would be restored to a more natural state, and a
boardwalk would be added along the newly restored Loch. A new rink would be built to the east of the Loch and would be set within a slope, containing a new pool that would be located at a lower elevation than the existing pool. During winters, ice skaters would be allowed to skate on the boardwalk and the Loch by means of synthetic ice placed on the boardwalk. ==North Woods==