Why did Central Park have a flock of sheep living in it?
For 70 years, a flock of sheep served as natural lawnmowers for Central Park's Sheep Meadow.
From 1864 to 1934, Southdown sheep grazed the 15-acre meadow to maintain the grass and fertilize the soil. They lived in a Victorian-style fold that was later converted into the famous Tavern on the Green restaurant. During the Great Depression, the flock was moved to Prospect Park to protect them from being poached by hungry residents.
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The inclusion of sheep in Central Park was a deliberate design choice by architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. They believed that grazing animals added a sense of English pastoral beauty to the urban landscape. The flock consisted of roughly 200 Southdown sheep, a breed known for its hardiness and quality wool. This practice was not just aesthetic but also practical, as the sheep provided free labor for lawn maintenance and natural fertilizer for the 15-acre site.The sheep were housed in a magnificent $70,000 sheepfold designed by Jacob Wrey Mould in 1870. This building was located just across the West Drive from the meadow. In 1934, Robert Moses, the New York City Parks Commissioner, ordered the removal of the sheep. He officially claimed the move was to protect the animals from being eaten by impoverished citizens during the Great Depression, though some historians suggest he simply wanted to modernize the park's image.The flock was first relocated to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and eventually sent to a farm in the Catskill Mountains. Following their departure, the sheepfold was renovated and reopened as the Tavern on the Green restaurant in October 1934. Today, Sheep Meadow is a designated quiet zone and remains one of the most iconic open spaces in New York City, attracting thousands of visitors daily for recreation without the livestock.
Verified Fact
FP-0001888 · Feb 16, 2026