Bushnell Park

Last updated

Bushnell Park
KelloggAndBulkeleySailorsAndSoldiersMemorial.jpg
Print celebrating completion of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in 1886 by Kellog & Bulkeley print company
USA Connecticut location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationBounded by Elm, Jewell, and Trinity Sts., Hartford, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°45′54″N72°40′46″W / 41.76500°N 72.67944°W / 41.76500; -72.67944
Area37 acres (15 ha)
Built1868
ArchitectWeidenmann, Jacob
NRHP reference No. 70000692 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 22, 1970

Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. It was conceived by the Reverend Horace Bushnell in the mid-1850s at a time when the need for open public spaces was just starting to be recognized. Today the park comprises 50 acres (20 ha) of green space, and is visited by over one million people each year. [2] Paths through the park contribute to the East Coast Greenway.

Contents

History

Hartford in the 1850s was a rapidly growing river town, doubling in population from 1850 to 1860. [3] The city's economy was booming, driven by industries such as publishing, insurance, banking, munitions, manufacturing and river shipping. Like many American cities of the time, Hartford was enjoying the benefits of the Industrial Revolution. But along with this growth came some growing pains, including crime, crowded tenements, poverty, poor sanitation, polluted water and air. It was in this context that Bushnell presented an idea that had not been suggested in any other American city: the creation of a public park, financed entirely by public funds.

Initial public reaction was skeptical. Hard-nosed business leaders were opposed to removing taxable property from the tax rolls. Furthermore, it was hard to imagine a less likely place for a green, peaceful park than Bushnell's proposed site, which was home to two leather tanneries, a soapworks, pigsties and other livestock–even a garbage dump. A railroad spur ran through it and the smelly Park River, polluted with the city's industrial waste, ran alongside it. Crowded tenements lined both banks of the river, with their outhouses in the back emptying directly into the sluggish current. Even Rev. Bushnell described it as “hell without the fire.”

However, after hearing Dr. Bushnell's presentation in October 1853, the Hartford City Council voted unanimously in November to spend public funds to buy the land that was to become Bushnell Park. Hartford voters approved the expenditure on Jan. 5, 1854, by a vote of 1,687 to 683, making it the first municipal park in the nation to be conceived, built and paid for by citizens through a popular vote. [4]

Footguard Oak (Charter Oak Scion), Bushnell Park, Hartford, CT - November 2011.jpg
"The Footguard Oak" - a descendant of The Charter Oak in 2011
Stump of the Charter Oak Scion in Bushnell Park.jpg
Stump of the felled Charter Oak Scion "Hoadley Oak" in 2023

But six years later the park still had not taken shape. Reverend Bushnell asked his good friend and Hartford native, Frederick Law Olmsted, to design the layout of the park. Olmsted, however, was occupied at the time with the double-duty of designing of New York City's Central Park and Springfield, Massachusetts' Forest Park, and thus declined the offer. Olmsted recommended Jacob Weidenmann, a Swiss-born landscape architect and botanist. Weidenmann's plan for the park included graceful paths and clusters of trees that shielded strollers from the sounds of the city, and enhanced the presence of the Park River which flowed through the park.

Later additions to the park include: the statue of Israel Putnam in 1874, sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward; the statue of Horace Wells in 1875, sculpted by Truman Howe Bartlett; the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, designed by George Keller in 1886 to commemorate those who fought in the American Civil War; the Corning Fountain in 1899, with sculpture by J. Massey Rhind; the 1914 carousel in 1974 (with a Wurlitzer #153 Band Organ providing the music); and the performance pavilion in 1995. [5]

As a result of seasonal flooding and pollution, and especially after damage from the great flood of 1936, the Park River was buried in underground conduits, and a main feature of the park was lost. A pond was later added to return a water feature to the park. Since 2017, the Bushnell Park Pond has been home to Horace, a territorial Great Blue Heron, lovingly named by the local 06103 community to commemorate both Horace Wells, and Horace Bushnell.

Today Bushnell Park is a focal point in downtown Hartford, and it is the site of several festivals and music events each year.

The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartford, Connecticut</span> Capital city of Connecticut, U.S.

Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of the Greater Hartford metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windsor, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Hartford, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

East Hartford is a town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Hartford, Connecticut. It is home to aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. It is also home to Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, a stadium used mainly for soccer and football with a capacity of 40,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meriden, Connecticut</span> City in Connecticut, United States

Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven and Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Eliot (landscape architect)</span> American architect (1859–1897)

Charles Eliot was an American landscape architect. Known for pioneering principles of regional planning, naturalistic systems approach to landscape architecture, and laying the groundwork for conservancies across the world. Instrumental in the formation of The Trustees of Reservations, the world's first land trust, playing a central role in shaping the Boston Metropolitan Park System, designing a number of public and private landscapes, and wrote prolifically on a variety of topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald Necklace</span> Chain of parks in Boston, Massachusetts

The Emerald Necklace consists of a 1,100-acre chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. It was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, and gets its name from the way the planned chain appears to hang from the "neck" of the Boston peninsula. In 1989, the Emerald Necklace was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Connecticut

The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as the office of the Governor of the State of Connecticut. The Connecticut Supreme Court occupies a building across Capitol Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulkeley Bridge</span> Bridge in Hartford, Connecticut

The Bulkeley Bridge is the oldest of three highway bridges over the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. A stone arch bridge composed of nine spans, the bridge carries Interstate 84, U.S. Route 6, and U.S. Route 44 across the river, connecting Hartford to East Hartford. As of 2005 the bridge carried an average daily traffic of 142,500 cars. The arches are mounted on stone piers, and vary in length from 68 feet (21 m) to 119 feet (36 m); the total length of the bridge is 1,192 feet (363 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Keller (architect)</span> American architect

George Keller was an American architect and engineer. He enjoyed a diverse and successful career, and was sought for his designs of bridges, houses, monuments, and various commercial and public buildings. Keller's most famous projects, however, are the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Hartford, Connecticut, and the James A. Garfield Memorial in Cleveland, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut</span>

The neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut in the United States are varied and historic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park River (Connecticut)</span> River in the U.S. state of Connecticut

The Park River is a tributary of the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. It was officially named the Park River in 1892 after Bushnell Park, through which it flowed in downtown Hartford. A local newspaper had advocated for that name rather than the “’Hog River’” name which was then in use. Between 1940 and the 1980s, the 2.3-mile (3.7 km) river was buried by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent the spring floods regularly caused by increased surface runoff from urban development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Park, Hartford</span> United States historic place

Elizabeth Park is a city park located in Hartford and West Hartford, Connecticut. It covers 102 acres and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is owned by the City of Hartford, and jointly maintained by the City and the Elizabet Park Conservancy working together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut)</span> Historic rural cemetery

Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut is located at 453 Fairfield Avenue. It was designed by landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann (1829–1893) who also designed Hartford's Bushnell Park. Its first sections were completed in 1866 and the first burial took place on July 17, 1866. Cedar Hill was designed as an American rural cemetery in the tradition of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jacob Weidenmann was an landscape architect from Switzerland known for his design of rural cemeteries and public parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elm Park (Worcester, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

Elm Park is an historic park in Worcester, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Hartford</span> City in Connecticut, United States

Downtown Hartford, Connecticut is the primary business district of the city, and the center of Connecticut's state government. Because of the large number of insurance companies headquartered there, Hartford is known as the "Insurance Capital of the World".

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt Park</span> United States historic place

Colt Park is a city park in the southeast Hartford, Connecticut neighborhood of Sheldon/Charter Oak. The 106-acre (43 ha) park was established from the former Armsmear Estate of Samuel Colt and Elizabeth Jarvis Colt which was gifted to the city upon her death in 1905. Today the park is home to playgrounds, sports fields, a pool and Dillon Stadium. Colt Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 8, 1976, designated as part of the Colt Industrial District, valued for its association with industrialist Samuel Colt. It is bounded by Wawarme, Wethersfield, Hendricxsen, Van Dyke Avenues and Stonington, Maseek and Sequassen Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Fulton Memorial Park</span> United States historic place

Lewis Fulton Memorial Park is a public park in the city of Waterbury, Connecticut. Located north of the city center, it was developed in the 1920s through the philanthropy of William Fulton, a brass company owner, as a memorial to his son Lewis. Its grounds were designed by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architects, and were largely completed by 1925. The park includes facilities for both active and passive recreation, and retains many Olmsted-designed features. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Horace Wells</span>

Dr. Horace Wells, also known as the Horace Wells Monument, is a monumental statue in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. The statue, located in the city's Bushnell Park, was designed by sculptor Truman Howe Bartlett and dedicated in 1875 in honor of Horace Wells, a dentist who was a pioneer in the use of anesthesia.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "About Us". Bushnell Park. Bushnell Park Foundation. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  3. The Department of Economic and Community Development. "Connecticut Population by Town 1830-1890". CT.gov. State of Connecticut. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  4. "Park History". Bushnell Park. Bushnell Park Foundation. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  5. Dodge, Erik (August 31, 2009). "The History of Bushnell Park in Hartford, CT". Living Local 360. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2014.