Architecture and Religion

What drew us to the Trefoil Arch was not only its eerie appearance, but the unique design of the east side archway. The Trefoil Arch simply describes that three-folded cusped archway to mimic the outline of a trefoil (as shown below). That style of overlapping circles was widely used in Christian Architecture (e.g, Church of Saint-Eliphe, Bayeux Cathedral) for its symbolism of the Holy Trinity. This begs the question of whether or not religion—specifically Christianity—was considered in the buildup and fundamentals of the park. Considering the time period, it wouldn’t be surprising that Christianity was the defining force for the arts. 

Calvert Vaux was actually given creative liberties when it came to constructing the bridges and arches within the park. He was originally an apprentice on Lewis Nockalls Cottingham’s project to restore the Hereford Cathedral back to its Romanesque appearance. Thus, he was familiar with architecture that centered around religion which he possibly reflected in his construction of the bridges/arches in Central Park.

While it’s unclear of Fredrick Olmstead’s experience in religious architectural builds, he was said to be heavily inspired by Horace Bushnell’s ideology that an individual is most influenced by God through social circles and the natural environment. In creating the landscape of the park, Olmstead anchored his creation under this belief. The natural environment that he fabricated aimed to connect the individual to the unconscious influence of God: nature itself.