Wearing a hardhat and a fluorescent construction vest, Susan Rodriguez \u201981, BArch \u201982, is inspecting the landscape along a graceful curved pathway at the north end of Manhattan\u2019s Central Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The path, which traces the top of a hillside, is part of a $160 million effort that has reimagined this corner of the famous park and its northern body of water, the Harlem Meer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve been preparing for this project my entire career,\u201d Rodriguez says on an afternoon in mid-April 2025, \u201cbecause it brings together the two things that I love: working in the city, and working in beautiful landscapes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Formally known as the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer<\/a>, the project was a collaboration between Rodriguez\u2019s Manhattan-based architecture firm; Mitchell Giurgola Architects; and the Central Park Conservancy<\/a>, the nonprofit public-private entity that oversees the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel like I\u2019ve been preparing for this project my entire career, because it brings together the two things that I love: working in the city, and working in beautiful landscapes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n After an eight-year planning and construction process, the center opened in late April with a celebration attended by thousands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDesigning in incredible landscapes like Central Park requires a unique focus and awareness about the site\u2019s tremendous history,\u201d observes Rodriguez, who is the principal at Susan T. Rodriguez | Architecture \u2022 Design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Susan](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/DSCF1805-A-1024x576.jpg\")
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