The Great Lawn is a well-beloved attraction and one of the most famous picnic spots in Central Park. It is
a green pastoral lawn, spanning at 55-acres.
A fun fact is that back in the day, the Great Lawn was a reservoir. Up until 1931 it was used to provide
fresh water to New York City. When it was decommissioned, New Yorkers flooded local authorities with
ideas on what to do with it, including the creation of a World War I memorial, a cinema and an opera
house. But it became the Great Lawn, a space desired by Olmsted and Vaux.
It was first opened for visitors in 1937, whit the diamonds being added in the 1950s.