If you want more info about how NYC consolidated in 1898, go the Bowery Boys website and download their great podcast episode about how it happened.
In essence, it comes down to one man: the father of consolidation, the one who got the ball rolling, is someone who most New Yorkers probably have never heard of: Andrew Haswell Green. And yet, if we seek his monument, look around us.
A 19th century lawyer, Green became parks commissioner and, like Robert Moses a century later, was also a city-planning Svengali: he created the Museum of the Metropolitan Art, designed Columbus Circle, financed the creation of the New York Public Library, and facilitated the creation of Central, Riverside, Morningside, and Fort Washington Parks. Eventually he was appointed by the New York State Legislature to design a plan for consolidation and, although he didn't over "the final product", Green's efforts created the template.
His vision for the political, physical, recreational, and cultural life of NYC is the city we live in today.
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