Roosevelt Park (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

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Roosevelt Park
Albuquerque Roosevelt Park.JPG
Roosevelt Park in 2009
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Location500 Spruce St. SE
Albuquerque, New Mexico [1]
Coordinates 35°4′35″N106°37′49″W / 35.07639°N 106.63028°W / 35.07639; -106.63028 Coordinates: 35°4′35″N106°37′49″W / 35.07639°N 106.63028°W / 35.07639; -106.63028
Area14 acres (5.7 ha)
Built1935
ArchitectC.E. "Bud" Hollied
NRHP reference # 96001384 [2]
NMSRCP #1646 [3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 22, 1996
Designated NMSRCPSeptember 27, 1996

Roosevelt Park is a historic park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties [3] and the National Register of Historic Places, [2] and is a protected Albuquerque Historic Landmark. [4] The park was built between 1933 and 1935 by manual laborers employed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs, turning a sandy arroyo filled with garbage into a rolling, grassy landscape planted with over 2,000 trees and bushes. It has long been one of the city's most popular gathering and recreation areas, although it also developed a reputation as a dangerous area beginning in the 1960s. The park received a major renovation in 2006–7.

Albuquerque, New Mexico City in New Mexico, United States

Albuquerque, also known locally as Duke City and abbreviated as ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the 32nd-most populous city in the United States, with a census-estimated population of 558,545 in 2017. It is the principal city of the Albuquerque metropolitan area, which has 915,927 residents as of July 2018. Albuquerque's Metropolitan statistical area is the 60th-largest in the United States. The Albuquerque MSA population includes the cities of Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Placitas, Corrales, Los Lunas, Belen, and Bosque Farms, and forms part of the larger Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Las Vegas combined statistical area, with a total population of 1,171,991 in 2016.

New Mexico U.S. state in the United States

New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States of America; its capital and cultural center is Santa Fe, which was founded in 1610 as capital of Nuevo México, while its largest city is Albuquerque with its accompanying metropolitan area. It is one of the Mountain States and shares the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona; its other neighboring states are Oklahoma to the northeast, Texas to the east-southeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua to the south and Sonora to the southwest. With a population around two million, New Mexico is the 36th state by population. With a total area of 121,592 sq mi (314,920 km2), it is the fifth-largest and sixth-least densely populated of the 50 states. Due to their geographic locations, northern and eastern New Mexico exhibit a colder, alpine climate, while western and southern New Mexico exhibit a warmer, arid climate.

The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. The Cultural Properties Review Committee meets at least six times a year. The committee lists properties in the State Register and forwards nominations to the National Register.

Contents

Landscape

Roosevelt Park occupies an irregularly shaped, 14-acre (5.7 ha) plot south of Coal Avenue between Spruce and Maple Streets. The northern part of the park is bounded by city streets, while the southern part is surrounded by a paved drive which is no longer open to traffic. The park terrain consists of a series of irregular hollows, mostly sitting below the level of the surrounding streets, with a vertical relief of about 50 feet (15 m) between the lowest and highest points. The main canopy is formed by mature Siberian elm trees up to 80 feet (24 m) in height, with other vegetation including juniper, blue spruce, and catalpa trees and bushes scattered throughout. [5]

Juniper Genus of plants

Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa, from Ziarat, Pakistan, east to eastern Tibet in the Old World, and in the mountains of Central America. The highest-known juniper forest occurs at an altitude of 16,000 ft (4,900 m) in southeastern Tibet and the northern Himalayas, creating one of the highest tree-lines on earth.

Blue spruce species of plant

The blue spruce, green spruce, white spruce, Colorado spruce, or Colorado blue spruce, with the Latin (scientific) name Picea pungens, is a species of spruce tree. It is native to North America, and is found in growing zones 1 through 7. Its natural range extends from northern New Mexico through Colorado and Utah to Wyoming and into Alberta and British Columbia, but it has been widely introduced elsewhere and is used as an ornamental tree in many places far beyond its native range. The blue spruce has blue-green coloured needles and is a coniferous tree.

<i>Catalpa</i> genus of plants

Catalpa, commonly called catalpa or catawba, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia.

Amenities at the park include a playground and disc golf course.

Disc golf type of sport

Disc golf is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. It is often played on a course of 9 or 18 holes. Players complete a hole by throwing a disc from a tee area toward a target, throwing again from the landing position of the disc until the target is reached. Usually, the number of throws a player uses to reach each target are tallied, and players seek to complete each hole, and the course, in the lowest number of total throws.

History

In the 1930s, Albuquerque was experiencing rapid growth east of Downtown in the area then known as the East Mesa. The idea of building a park in the growing eastern suburbs was supported by Clyde Tingley, who was the Chairman of the City Commission at the time and was an advocate of parks and other civic improvements. Tingley pieced together land for the project from one block of the Terrace Addition, which he persuaded the developer to donate, and an adjacent parcel belonging to Albuquerque Public Schools. The chosen site was a sandy arroyo which had previously been used as a landfill.

Downtown Albuquerque Neighborhood of Albuquerque

Downtown Albuquerque is the central business district of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is where a significant number of the city's highrise buildings are located, and is the center of government and business for the Greater Albuquerque metropolitan region.

Clyde Tingley American politician

Clyde Kendle Tingley was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the 11th governor of the State of New Mexico. He was a children's healthcare advocate.

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) is a school district based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1891, APS is the largest of 89 public school districts in the state of New Mexico. In 2010 it had a total of 143 schools with some 95,000 students, making it one of the largest school districts in the United States. APS operates 89 elementary, 27 middle, and 13 high schools, as well as 10 alternative schools. They also own the radio station KANW and co-own the TV stations KNME-TV and KNMD-TV along with the University of New Mexico.

The park was built between 1933 and 1935 by local laborers working for the Civil Works Administration (CWA), Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), and Works Progress Administration (WPA)—federal employment programs created as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. The total cost of the project was about $120,000. [4] The men worked in crews of up to 300, using shovels and wheelbarrows to reshape the arroyo. The landscape architect for the project was C. Edmund "Bud" Hollied, a former superintendent of greenhouses at Cornell who had moved to Albuquerque for tuberculosis treatment. Hollied laid out an undulating, pastoral landscape planted with Siberian elms and other plants well suited to the arid climate. [5] Originally known as Terrace Park, it was renamed for Roosevelt in 1934. [6]

Civil Works Administration former job creation program implemented by the United States Government

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was a short-lived job creation program established by the New Deal during the Great Depression in the United States to rapidly create mostly manual-labor jobs for millions of unemployed workers. The jobs were merely temporary, for the duration of the hard winter of 1933–34. President Franklin D. Roosevelt unveiled the CWA on November 8, 1933, and put Harry L. Hopkins in charge of the short-term agency.

Federal Emergency Relief Administration

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) was the new name given by the Roosevelt Administration to the Emergency Relief Administration (ERA) which President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had created in 1933. FERA was established as a result of the Federal Emergency Relief Act and was replaced in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Works Progress Administration United States federal New Deal agency charged with creating work in the 1930s and 1940s

The Works Progress Administration was an American New Deal agency, employing millions of job-seekers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. It was established on May 6, 1935, by Executive Order 7034. In a much smaller project, Federal Project Number One, the WPA employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects. The four projects dedicated to these were: the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP), the Historical Records Survey (HRS), the Federal Theatre Project (FTP), the Federal Music Project (FMP), and the Federal Art Project (FAP). In the Historical Records Survey, for instance, many former slaves in the South were interviewed; these documents are of great importance for American history. Theater and music groups toured throughout America, and gave more than 225,000 performances. Archaeological investigations under the WPA were influential in the rediscovery of pre-Columbian Native American cultures, and the development of professional archaeology in the US.

Although one of Albuquerque's most popular gathering places, Roosevelt Park developed a reputation as a dangerous area during the 1960s and 70s, with numerous violent incidents as well as ongoing issues with drug use and underage drinking. [7] Nearby residents petitioned for improved lighting and a curfew in 1965, citing nighttime disturbances "ranging from shouts to screaming and calls for help". [8] The ongoing trouble at Roosevelt Park and other city parks led the Albuquerque Police Department to establish an undercover "park patrol" unit in the late 1960s. Relations between the police and park-goers were tense, leading to incidents of rock-throwing and finally a full-blown riot in 1971 after police tried to arrest some teenagers for drinking beer in the park. [9] The riot spread across the city, ultimately causing over $3 million in damage and 41 injuries. [10]

Albuquerque Police Department

The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is the largest municipal police department in New Mexico. It is located in Bernalillo County and has jurisdiction within the city limits of Albuquerque. In addition to their regular commissions, Albuquerque Police Officers are sworn in as special deputy sheriffs by the Bernalillo County Sheriff, which allows officers to enforce laws outside of the city limits of Albuquerque.

Another much-publicized violent incident occurred in 1992, when three people were injured by gunfire during a barbecue being held by the well-known rapper MC Hammer and his entourage. [11] [12] By 2003 the park was still considered unsafe by neighborhood residents, and its physical condition had deteriorated significantly as well. [13] This led the city to embark on a $2 million renovation project which included pruning trees, replacing the irrigation system, installing a playground and jogging path, and landscaping work. [14] The project was completed in summer 2007 after 10 months of work. [15] The park has continued to be associated with protests and activism, including hosting a large demonstration against police brutality in 2014. [16]

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References

  1. ↑ "Park Addresses". City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Listed State and National Register Properties" (PDF). New Mexico Historic Preservation Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Historic Landmarks". Albuquerque Landmarks & Urban Conservation Commission. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Roosevelt Park". National Park Service. November 22, 1996. Retrieved October 16, 2017. with two accompanying photos
  6. ↑ Flynn, Kathryn A. (2012). Public Art and Architecture in New Mexico 1933-1943: A Guide to the New Deal Legacy. Santa Fe: Sunstone Press. p. 33. ISBN   9780865348813 . Retrieved October 17, 2017– via Google Books.
  7. ↑ "Park terrorism complaint was made 6 years ago". Albuquerque Journal. July 18, 1971. Retrieved October 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Wood, Robert Turner (2015). The Postwar Transformation of Albuquerque, New Mexico 1945-1972. Santa Fe: Sunstone Press. ISBN   9781611393101 . Retrieved October 4, 2017– via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "Violence in June: The analysis of a riot". Albuquerque Journal. July 18, 1971. Retrieved October 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Waldron, Martin (June 20, 1971). "Albuquerque Divided Over Cause of First Major Riot". New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  11. ↑ MacMinn, Aleene (June 24, 1992). "Pop/rock: Hammer crew shot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  12. ↑ Archuleta, Tim (June 25, 1992). "Witnesses Say Hammer Isn't Telling The Truth About Park Shootings". Chicago Tribune. Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  13. ↑ Jojola, Lloyd (November 29, 2003). "Roosevelt Park in Peril". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Project update: Roosevelt Park rehabilitation". Albuquerque Journal. April 18, 2006. Retrieved October 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Pretty park". Albuquerque Journal. June 21, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Lohmann, Patrick (June 21, 2014). "Updated: Protesters gather at Roosevelt Park against APD, city leadership". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
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