Townsend Park is a small
urban park in
Albany,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
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* '' ...
. It encompasses a triangle of land formed by the Y-intersection of
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
Washington avenues (north and south borders respectively), with the third (western) border formed by
Henry Johnson Boulevard.
History
A fence enclosure was put around the park in 1833, by nearby residents and the park was christened Washington Park after
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
with the intentions of erecting a statue in his honor, but the city later changed the name in honor of former
Mayor John Townsend, Washington going to nearby former State Street Parade Grounds as
Washington Park.
In 1928 a
Spanish–American War monument was erected in the western end of the park.
In 2009 as part of an effort to spruce up the park the Central Avenue
Business Improvement District (BID) removed the park benches and picnic tables and replaced them with metal mesh topped poles. Some of those who work in the area protested the removal of the benches by the organization as an attempt to limit public accessibility, particular the comfort and availability to use the new seating by the disabled. Since the benches have been removed, crime rates within the park have significantly decreased and vacancies have decreased. According to Albany Police Department's Crime Analysis Center’s statistics, in the last five years crime has decreased from 113 total crimes in 2009 to 73 in 2013 (13 percent total.) In addition, the neighborhood has become a center for ethnic restaurants, featuring Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern and several Indian restaurants.
Spanish–American War Monument
The Spanish–American War Monument is a tall monument of a bronze statue of a US soldier marching into battle, rifle leading the way.
[ It was sculpted by Dave Lithgow and erected in 1928. The statue commemorates the four companies of the First Provisional Regiment of the 10th Battalion which was located at the nearby Washington Avenue Armory. During the war they were sent to Hawaii due to concerns of an eminent Spanish attack, which never occurred.]Porto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
on the south side, Philippines on the north side, and Cuba on the west (front) side. A bronze cross on the front is inscribed with "United Spanish War Veterans 1898-1902" and below that the inscription "Erected by the City of Albany July 22, 1928 in Memory of Those Who Served Their Country in the Spanish American War–William S. Hackett
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...
John Boyd Thacher 2nd Mayors."
Activities
Though a small park (roughly ) Townsend Park still manages to be used for activities by the neighborhood and city-at-large. Chess became a favorite activity after the nearby Albany Public Library main branch banned the activity.
References
{{reflist
Parks in Albany, New York
Urban public parks