Central Park Conservancy

In 1980, as a response to the decline of Central Park, a group of civic and philanthropic leaders founded the Central Park Conservancy. It has been a groundbreaking public-private partnership with the City of New York. Their mission was to restore America’s best known urban park to its original state as envisioned by its designers, Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. The Conservancy manages the day-to-day maintenance and operation of Central Park, including 90% of the maintenance staff, and provides 85% of Central Park’s annual budget through its fundraising and investment revenue.

Lord Cultural Resources was engaged to work with the Conservancy to develop a Visitor Experience Strategy for Central Park. To develop the strategy, Lord assessed the existing assets, programming, brand, and visitor data to highlight opportunities to broaden and deepen visitors’ connection to the Park. Central to the strategy was the need to connect people with the vast accomplishments of the Conservancy and variety of program opportunities.

The strategy is currently serving as a foundation for the redevelopment of the six visitor centers, including Belvedere Castle at the heart of Park. Central to the project was the conceptualization of a Nature Center, which will become the launching pad and testing ground for an integrated strategy to be rolled out over the next several years.

"As The Central Park Conservancy continues to help define Central Park as the most important cultural institution in New York City we must continually develop new strategic objectives to support a growing visitor rate. Lord Cultural Resources has been tremendously helpful in developing a Master Plan for the Visitor Experience. This plan marks a key turning point in the Conservancy’s history and the history of Central Park. Their thoughtful guidance as we embark on this next chapter has been instrumental in defining the future of our work. Our entire team has benefitted from their insight and leadership in this process."

Doug Blonsky, President & CEO, Central Park Conservancy and Central Park Administrator