Harlem Meer

You are standing at the Harlem Meer, a peaceful eleven-acre lake nestled in the northeast corner of Central Park. The name itself reflects the city's deep Dutch roots, as Meer is the Dutch word for lake, serving as a linguistic nod to the neighboring community of Harlem. Before this area became a manicured part of the park, it was a wild, tidal marsh fed by the freshwater Harlem Creek, which once flowed steadily toward the East River. This low-lying wetland was so rugged and difficult to develop that it was only incorporated into the park’s official boundaries in eighteen sixty-three, two years after the initial park construction began.