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Facts About Central Park

Designers: Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.

Origins: In 1853, the state Legislature first set aside land for a major public park. City commissioners spent $14 million for undeveloped land and construction from 59th Street to 106th Street, between Fifth and Eighth Avenues. Designers chosen in public competition in 1858. Park was developed over a span of 16 years.

Acreage: 843 acres, 6 percent of Manhattan's total acreage. Includes seven water bodies totaling 150 acres, 136 acres of woodlands and 250 acres of lawns.

Perimeter: 6 miles (2.5 miles up and down the avenues and 0.5 miles across Central Park North and South).

Pathways: 58 miles of walking paths; 4.25 miles of bridle paths.

Trees and benches: More than 26,000 trees and nearly 9,000 benches.

Bridges and arches: 36.

Birds: 215 species in a 6.1-acre sanctuary, many rare to the area including the peregrine falcon.

Sculptures: 29, including statues of Alice in Wonderland and Hans Christian Andersen.

Attractions: Delacorte Theater, a 1,885-seat auditorium for the performing arts; the 5.5-acre Central Park Zoo with 1,400 animals, including Antarctic penguins and polar bears.

Recreation: 26 ballfields; 30 tennis courts; 21 playgrounds; one carousel; two ice-skating rinks, one of which is converted into a swimming pool in the summer.

Visitors: 25 million annually.

Management: Central Park Conservancy, a private, not-for-profit organization founded in 1980, manages Central Park under a contract with the city.

Budget: The conservancy provides more than 85 percent of Central Park's annual $20 million operating budget.

Source: Central Park Conservancy