The Mall at Central Park Flanking the 40-foot wide Mall are quadruple rows of American elms. The elm was one of the designers' favorite trees and provides, as they envisioned, a living cathedral ceiling high over the walkway. The Mall is breathtaking in any season. In the springtime, the sun filtering through the translucent leaves seems to tint the atmosphere a lime-green. The southern end of the Mall is often referred to as "Literary Walk." Over a short period of time representations of the following literary figures were installed: William Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns. Though not a literary figure, Christopher Columbus. Victor Herbert, and Ludwig van Beethoven.