The more things change, the more they stay the same

From the Daily News:

Almost from the first day Central Park opened to the public in 1859, the city’s crown jewel had been descended upon by hungry entrepreneurs who reckoned that here was just plain too much valuable real estate to be left unbuilt upon. City Hall had often seemed entirely agreeable to their proposals, and public watchdogs and good-government groups spent years tirelessly fending off one project after another. By the time this illustration ran in the Daily News in March 1924, Central Park, had it not been for such civic vigilance, might well have already become home to theaters, stadiums, exhibition halls, circuses, radio stations, a trolley line, a cemetery for notables, an airplane landing field and at least two dozen other commercial ventures.