<P> The park was established in 1857 on 778 acres ( 315 ha ) of land acquired by the city . In 1858 , landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect / landscape designer Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they titled the `` Greensward Plan '' . Construction began the same year , and the park 's first area was opened to the public in the winter of 1858 . Construction north of the park continued during the American Civil War in the 1860s , and the park was expanded to its current size in 1873 . After a period of decline in the early 20th century , Robert Moses started a program to clean up Central Park . Another decline in the late 20th century spurred the creation of the Central Park Conservancy in 1980 , which refurbished many parts of the park during the 1980s and 1990s . </P>
<P> The park was established in 1857 on 778 acres ( 315 ha ) of land acquired by the city . In 1858 , landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect / landscape designer Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they titled the `` Greensward Plan '' . Construction began the same year , and the park 's first area was opened to the public in the winter of 1858 . Construction north of the park continued during the American Civil War in the 1860s , and the park was expanded to its current size in 1873 . After a period of decline in the early 20th century , Robert Moses started a program to clean up Central Park . Another decline in the late 20th century spurred the creation of the Central Park Conservancy in 1980 , which refurbished many parts of the park during the 1980s and 1990s . </P>
when did central park open to the public
when did central park open to the public
1857
1857