Central Park is an urban pairk in the eastren portion o the central-upper West Side o Manhattan in New York Ceety. The pairk initially opened in 1857, on 778 acres (315 ha) o ceety-ained laund (it is 840 acres the day). In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted an Calvert Vaux wan a design competeetion tae improve an expand the pairk wi a plan thay enteetlit the Greensward Plan. Construction began the same year, continued during the American Ceevil War, an wis completit in 1873. Central Park is the maist veesited urban pairk in the Unitit States.
Designatit a Naitional Historic Landmark in 1962, the pairk is currently managed bi the Central Pairk Conservancy unner contract wi the ceety govrenment. The Conservancy is a non-profit organization that contributes 83.5% o Central Park's $37.5 million annual budget, an employs 80.7% o the pairk's maintenance staff.