Central Park Conservancy Receives $100 Million Donation

John Paulson, a billionaire hedge-fund manager recently donated $100 million to the Central Park Conservancy. It is believed to be the largest donation to any park in US history. Paulson, who joined the conservancy board in June, said he wants to make New York City a center of his philanthropy and decided Central Park, which he has visited regularly since his childhood and where his grandparents courted, should be No. 1 on the list.

"It's been an important part of my life and my family's life for a very long time." he said. "I wanted the amount to make a difference."

"It is a great privilege to be able to contribute to the Central Park Conservancy, one of the most important cultural institutions in New York,” Paulson said. He’s No. 28 in the Forbes 400 and No. 61 in the list of Forbes Billionaires.

The images above were taken two days before Superstorm Sandy hit the northeast. 

BETHESDA FOUNTAIN

I took advantage of the beautiful morning we had last Sunday and went to the park. I captured these images of Central Park's Bethesda Fountain, one of my favorite spots to visit.

From CentralPark2000.com:
Bethesda Fountain
The Angel Of The Waters
[Unveiled 1873]
Sculpted: 1868
Sculptor: Emma Stebbins 1815-1882 • USA
Gift of New York City

The definitive crown jewel of Central Park, is one of the most famous and universally loved fountains in the world, Bethesda Fountain. Designed by Emma Stebbins, the centerpiece of the "Angel of the Waters" was the only sculpture commissioned as part of the original design of the Park naming her the first woman to receive a commission for a major work of art in New York City. Located on the lower level of Bethesda Terrace, this neoclassical winged female figure symbolizes and celebrates the purifying of the city’s water supply when the Croton Aqueduct opened in 1842 bringing fresh water to all New Yorkers. For this reason she carries a lily, the symbol of purity in one hand while her other hand extends outward as she blesses the water below. The stimulus for the idea of the "Angel of the Waters" comes from the Gospel of Saint John, Chapter 5, the story of an angel bestowing healing powers on the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. Beneath the eight-foot gilded bronze statue are our smaller four-foot figures symbolizing Temperance, Purity, Health, and Peace. The base of the fountain was designed by Calvert Vaux with detail work by Jacob Wrey Mould.