Sam Rohn

The Mall and Bethesda Terrace are the main formal elements in Olmsted and Vaux’s design for Central Park, flanking the 40-foot-wide Mall are quadruple rows of American Elms. The elm was one of the designers’ favorite trees, providing a living cathedral ceiling high over the walkway. The Mall is breathtaking in any season. In the spring, the sun filtering through the translucent leaves seems to tint the atmosphere a lime-green. As the canopy matures over the summer, it creates a cool dense shade for the landscape below. When autumn’s yellow and gold leaves fall, they reveal the bold architecture of the trees’ skeletons. A fresh winter snow creates a lace veil in the black and white tree branches.