And the same still applied in 1860… nyc was double the size of the next largest city back then.
And to answer your question, they did do the same… chicago for example also built lincoln park in 1860 even though they were 1/10th the population at the time. The only difference between central & lincoln park is that lincoln park is larger than central park & not as square… its entirety (that isnt water) is surrounded by skyscrapers & is very much central to the city…
To add more, central park is 4 miles away from the citys financial district… lincoln park is 2 miles away… it is MORE “central” than central park lol