An extensive recreational area of New York City extending north to south in central Manhattan. The land, acquired in 1856, was developed according to plans drawn up by the landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. the main city park in New York City. Public park, New York, New York, U.S. Located in Manhattan, it occupies an area of 840 acres (340 hectares). It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and opened in 1876; it was artificially landscaped to create an impression of wild and varied terrain. It includes footpaths and bicycle paths, athletic fields, boating lakes, and a zoo. Free public concerts and performances are frequent, notably the Shakespeare in the Park series at an open-air theatre. The Metropolitan Museum of Art adjoins the park