Boat Landings Reconstruction

The new landings are faithful recreations of the Lake’s original boat landings, which had been constructed in the 19th century and removed throughout the 20th century due to deterioration.

Beginning in 1860, six boat landings were constructed along the shoreline of the Lake. The small structures served as scenic lookouts and docks for recreational boaters. A passenger boat made a circuit around the Lake transporting visitors between all six landings and Bethesda Terrace.

The boat landings, which were designed to complement the surrounding scenery, were periodically repaired and rebuilt throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Eventually, much of the original detailing was lost over time. By 1970, none remained. Four of the landings were rebuilt by Parks Department crews in the 1970s, beginning with an initiative by a volunteer group, the Friends of Central Park, to recreate the Wagner Cove landing.

These four landings were nearing the end of their useful life, so the Conservancy rebuilt and installed new boat landings in their place in 2016. The new landings are more faithful recreations of the original 19th-century designs and represent rustic and Victorian styles. As part of the project, the Conservancy also built and re-installed a fifth landing (the Bank Rock Boat Landing) that had historically existed on the Ramble shoreline near Oak Bridge, but had not been reconstructed with the others in the 1970s.