This Is How NYC Central Park Would Have Looked Based On A Rejected Design From 1858

Whether you’re an NYC local or you’ve just seen it on TV, Central Park is sure to have left an imprint on your imagination. It’s such a fixture on the world map of ‘places everybody has heard of’, that it’s difficult to picture it any other way than how the park is today.

But did you know that the design of the Central Park was chosen by competition over 150 years ago? Out of the 33 possible parks, only the one we know and the plans for one losing design still exist.

A team of designers wondered what could have been. So they tracked down the sole surviving ‘losing entry’ of the great 1858 Central Park design competition and recreated it using the power of digital imaging.

What do you think of the results? Would you like to take a wander in Central Park that never was?

More: Budget Direct h/t: boredpanda





If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Most Famous Buildings Get 3D Paper Model Treatment In New Book

The Beauty Of Italian Architecture Photographed By David Burdeny

Let's Take A Closer Look At The Scariest Playground In The World

The Iglu Hotel

Is this New Hotel in Amsterdam the “Hotel of the Future”?

Parasitic City Takes Root on the Foundations of a Decommissioned Highway Bridge

Stunning Photographs Of The Old Cincinnati Library Before Being Demolished, 1874-1955

A Look Inside This Starbucks Modeled After A Japanese Teahouse

Stunning Photos of the Superb Futuristic Lamborghini Marzal by Bertone

World’s Largest Vertical Garden Blooms With 85,000 Plants In The Heart Of Bogota

Artist Turns Real Seashells Into Decorative Jewelry Dishes That Look Like Long Lost Treasure

Numbers on Stairs Help Kids Learn to Count

New York Artist Sculpts Sandcastles That Would Make M.C. Escher Proud

Rotary Clubs Light Up the World to Eradicate Polio

Awesome Architectural Projects by Arthour Koupreychouk

Green Leaves Powered Writer’s Shed By Matt Gibson Architecture + Design

Sky Bridge 721: World’s Longest Suspension Bridge Opens in Czech Republic

Okay, There’s A Skateboard Ramp On The Exterior Of This House

Architect Designs Sustainable Futuristic Tree Houses In Italian Forest

Cyril Porchet Photographs Ornate Baroque Churches Around The World

Meet Federico Seneca, The Visionary of Italian Poster Art

Chinese Home Builders Find Great Location: On Top of a Shopping Mall

Incredible Mixed Traditional‑digital Process For Dynamic Action Comics: Pencil, Ink, And Clip Studio Magic by Léo Chiola

This Serene Outdoor Sanctuary Has Sculptural Concrete Seating

The Superb Futuristic HUD Designs That Power Blockbuster Games And Hollywood Films by Neptali Cisneros

35 Perfect Reasons To Love New Yorker Cartoons

Is It A Billboard? No, It's A Building!

The Instagram Account Sharing The Most Beautiful Libraries In The World

35 Entrances, 3708 Apartments: Welcome to the Russian Kowloon Walled City!

Spectacular Winning Photos from the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards