New York City, New York story
A Sanctuary's Secret
Deep in the southeastern corner of Central Park is a four-acre woodland that spent nearly a century as a secret. Originally called The Promontory, it was a wild area without any w…
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Deep in the southeastern corner of Central Park is a four-acre woodland that spent nearly a century as a secret. Originally called The Promontory, it was a wild area without any walking paths. In 1934, Robert Moses fenced it off entirely, designating it as a bird sanctuary that was intended to remain undisturbed.
For decades, the public was locked out, with only occasional access granted to school groups. It wasn't until 1986 that it was renamed the Hallett Nature Sanctuary, and regular visitor hours didn't even begin until 2016. Today, you can walk its rustic trails and spot migrating birds, but for eighty years, this was the city's most exclusive nature preserve—exclusive even to the humans.
Updated June 2026