Frederick Law Olmsted | A Passion for Parks, National Geographic: Central Park Baseball Diamons

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A field of baseball diamonds dot the North Meadow, one of New York Central Park’s largest open areas. Ball fields first appeared there in the 1870s.

Park planner Frederick Law Olmstead loved the natural world and did not intend for recreation to take place in Central Park or any park he designed. He created a place where the elite could go to relax and breathe fresh air while being surrounded by nature. The theory was that this would help limit the amount of disease and illness they believed resulted from the congested tenement buildings. He created natural looking water falls and moved huge rock boulders to make a untouched looking space. Although Central Park is beloved, Olmsted would not have approved of how we use our parks today.