Tivoli Nature Preserve

Last updated
Tivoli Nature Preserve
Type Urban wildlife preserve
Location Albany, New York
Coordinates 42°40′14″N73°45′40″W / 42.6706°N 73.7612°W / 42.6706; -73.7612 Coordinates: 42°40′14″N73°45′40″W / 42.6706°N 73.7612°W / 42.6706; -73.7612
Area82 acres (33 ha)
Created1957
Operated byCity of Albany

The Tivoli Nature Preserve, also Tivoli Park, in Albany is the largest urban nature preserve in the Capital District.

Contents

History

The land now comprising the Tivoli Preserve was originally owned by the Van Rensselaer family as part of the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck. [1] In 1844 the Tivoli Hollow Railroad was built from Fuller Road to the Albany Lumber District through the Tivoli Hollow and the northern end of the future park. [2] [3] In 1850 the city of Albany purchased the land in order to dam the Patroon Creek to form a reservoir for the public water system. [1] In 1851 dams were constructed across Patroon Creek forming Upper and Lower Tivoli lakes, the upper lake was for storing and the lower for distribution. The lakes served the population of the city east of North Pearl Street. [4]

Plans to extend Manning Boulevard from its then current terminus at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Central Avenue through the waterworks property were proposed in the 1870s and though grading and preliminary work proceeded, the street laid out was never a grand boulevard as proposed and the portion inside the park was never completed. [5] [6] Due to neglect after being abandoned as a water source around the turn of the 20th century, the park became the site of an informal dumping ground in the 1920s and the lake became heavily polluted to the point where it allegedly was red with pollution from nearby slaughterhouses. [7] In 1957 the city turned the waterworks property into the Tivoli Lakes Nature Study Sanctuary, though by 1974 the area was in such neglect again that the Albany Times Union published a faux obituary describing the park's "death". [8] As part of a 1998 settlement closing the waste incinerator in the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood, the state funded a clean-up and upgrade of the preserve into an educational center in conjunction with the neighboring Philip Livingston Middle School. [9]

Proposed in 2002 the Patroon Path will be a 10-foot (3.0 m) wide path from the Corning Preserve at the Hudson River west through the preserve along the Patroon Creek and Interstate 90 (I-90) to Rensselaer Lake and the Pine Bush Preserve. [10]

Activities

Fish in Tivoli Lake include bluegill, large mouth bass, and pumpkinseed; [11] birds in the preserve include woodpeckers, turkeys, red-winged blackbirds, and red tailed hawks. [12] Mammals include squirrels, deer, and opossums. Nature walks and birdwatching is a popular activity in the preserve. [7]

Behind the Livingston Village Apartments is a 70 plot community garden within the Tivoli Preserve. It is Albany's largest community garden. [13]

Related Research Articles

Albany County, New York County in New York

Albany County is a county in the state of New York, in the United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is on the east. As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204. The county seat is Albany, the state capital of New York. As originally established by the English government in the colonial era, Albany County had an indefinite amount of land, but has had an area of 530 square miles (1,400 km2) since March 3, 1888. The county is named for the Duke of York and of Albany, who became James II of England.

Albany, New York State capital city in New York, United States

Albany is the capital of the U.S. state of New York and the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is located on the west bank of the Hudson River approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of its confluence with the Mohawk River and approximately 135 miles (220 km) north of New York City.

Albany Pine Bush

The Albany Pine Bush, referred to locally as the Pine Bush, is one of the largest of the 20 inland pine barrens in the world. It is centrally located in New York's Capital District within Albany and Schenectady counties, between the cities of Albany and Schenectady. The Albany Pine Bush was formed thousands of years ago, following the drainage of Glacial Lake Albany.

Rensselaer Lake lake in Albany County, New York, USA

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Neighborhoods of Albany, New York

The neighborhoods of Albany, New York are listed below.

Van Rensselaer Island was an island in the Hudson River opposite the city of Albany, New York. The island was also known as de Laet's Island, Kalebacker's Island, Boston Island and B&A Island, the last two names in reference to the Boston and Albany Railroad. The island stretched from Mill Creek north to the Livingston Avenue Bridge. Van Rensselaer Island is now connected to the City of Rensselaer, and is no longer an island.

Streets of Albany, New York

The streets of Albany, New York have had a long history going back almost 400 years. Many of the streets have changed names over the course of time, some have changed names many times. Some streets no longer exist, others have changed course. Some roads existed only on paper. The oldest streets were haphazardly laid out with no overall plan until Simeon De Witt's 1794 street grid plan. The plan had two grids, one west of Eagle Street and the old stockade, and another for the Pastures District south of the old stockade.

Kenwood, Albany, New York Neighborhood in Capital District, New York, United States

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Patroon Creek river in the United States of America

Patroon Creek is a stream in Albany County, New York, United States and is a tributary of the Hudson River which flows south to New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The creek's source is Rensselaer Lake in the western section of the city of Albany and flows along the northern border of said city with the town of Colonie to its mouth at the Hudson River. The creek received its name from the patroon of Rensselaerswyck.

Downtown Schenectady Neighborhood/Central business district in Capital District, New York, United States

Downtown Schenectady is the central business district for the city of Schenectady, New York. It originated in the 1820s with the moving of the commercial and industrial interests east from the original 17th and 18th century settlement, spurred on by the development of the Erie Canal. Home to the headquarters and major manufacturing plants of two large corporations, General Electric and American Locomotive Company, Downtown Schenectady catered to tens of thousands of workers in its heyday. Typical of the post-industrial Northeastern United States and Upstate New York in particular, Downtown Schenectady saw a decline in manufacturing and population starting in the 1970s. Recent construction and renovation has caused the downtown area to become an entertainment mecca for New York's Capital District anchored by Proctor's Theatre.

Architecture of Albany, New York

The architecture of Albany, New York, embraces a variety of architectural styles ranging from the early 18th century to the present. The city's roots date from the early 17th century and few buildings survive from that era or from the 18th and early 19th century. The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 triggered a building boom, which continued until the Great Depression and the suburbanization of the area afterward. This accounts for much of the construction in the city's urban core along the Hudson River. Since then most construction has been largely residential, as the city spread out to its current boundaries, although there have been some large government building complexes in the modernist style, such as Empire State Plaza, which includes the Erastus Corning Tower, the tallest building in New York outside of New York City.

North Albany, Albany, New York Neighborhood in Albany County, New York, United States

North Albany is a neighborhood in the city of Albany, New York. North Albany was settled in the mid-17th century by the Patroon of Rensselaerswyck and his tenants and later became a hamlet in the town of Watervliet. Due to the Erie Canal being constructed in 1825, North Albany saw immense growth, with the Albany Lumber District and an influx of Irish immigrants lending the area the name of Limerick. Home to many historic warehouses and row houses, North Albany continues to be an important industrial neighborhood. Recent efforts have begun to gentrify the neighborhood by adapting heavy industry/warehouse use to artistic and entertainment venues, such as a German beer garden, an amusement park, live music venues, and arts and crafts marketplaces.

Sheridan Hollow, Albany, New York Neighborhood in Albany County, New York, United States

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History of Albany, New York (prehistory–1664)

The history of Albany, New York prior to 1664 begins with the native inhabitants of the area and ends in 1664, with the English takeover of New Netherland. The area was originally inhabited by Algonquian Indian tribes and was given different names by the various peoples. The Mohican called it Pempotowwuthut-Muhhcanneuw, meaning "the fireplace of the Mohican nation", while the Iroquois called it Sche-negh-ta-da, or "through the pine woods". Albany's first European structure was a primitive fort on Castle Island built by French traders in 1540. It was destroyed by flooding soon after construction.

History of Albany, New York (1860–1900)

The history of Albany, New York from 1860 to 1900 begins in 1860, prior to the start of the Civil War, and ends in 1900.

Lincoln Park (Albany, New York) Urban park

Lincoln Park is an urban park in Albany, New York, with a unique history, from being the site of a skirmish in 1626 between the Dutch and Mohawks to brickyards and breweries to being Albany's first public playground. The park features Albany's only outdoor non-wading swimming pool, along with several tennis courts, basketball courts, and football and baseball fields. Within the park is the James Hall Office, a National Historic Landmark, and the Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST) an elementary school.

Tricentennial Park (Albany, New York)

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Dana Park park in Albany, New York, United States

Dana Park is a small .2-acre (810 m2) urban park in Albany, New York and includes a memorial to James Dana which doubles as Albany's last remaining horse trough. It is located in the Y-intersection caused by Delaware Avenue to the east and Lark Street to the west, with the third leg of the triangle formed by Dana Avenue. Madison Avenue forms a five-point intersection with Lark Street and Delaware Avenue at the eastern end of the park. The park is important to several different neighborhoods, Hudson-Park, Park South, and Lark Street.

Saint Josephs Church (Albany, New York) church building in Albany, New York, United States of America

St. Joseph's Church is a historic Gothic church edifice in the Ten Broeck Triangle section of Albany, New York's Arbor Hill neighborhood. The structure is considered a city landmark and an important part of the Albany skyline. The church closed in 1994. As of February 2019, it is owned by the City of Albany.

References

  1. 1 2 Odata, James (2001-01-16). "Pataki Pledges Aid to City Parks". Times Union (Albany). Hearst Communications. p. B4.
  2. ↑ Sconfienza, Steve (2010). "Mohawk & Hudson Rail Road".
  3. ↑ Reynolds, Cuyler (1906). Albany Chronicles: A History of the City Arranged Chronologically from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. J.B. Lyon Company. p. 557.
  4. ↑ Howell, George Rogers; Tenney, Jonathan (1886). Bi-Centennial History of Albany: History of the County of Albany, N.Y., from 1609 to 1886. W.W. Munsell & Company. pp. 582–584.
  5. ↑ Scruton, Bruce A. (1986-04-23). "Still Having a 'Field Day' Now, as Then, Albany Making the Most of its Parks". The Knickerbocker News. Hearst Communications. p. 4A.
  6. ↑ Egerton, William S. (1892). The Public Parks of the City of Albany, N.Y. Weed, Parsons, & Co. p. 40.
  7. 1 2 Lopez, Robert (2005-04-24). "Sprucing Up a Neglected Gem". Times Union (Albany). Hearst Communications. p. D1.
  8. ↑ Clemans, Alida D. (1986-06-29). "Few Know Nature of Tivoli Park Urban Wilderness Hides in Arbor Hill". Times Union (Albany). Hearst Communications. p. C1.
  9. ↑ Jochnowitz, Jay (1998-03-25). "Trash-pact Ceremony Irks Critics". Times Union (Albany). Hearst Communications. p. B1.
  10. ↑ Cappiello, Dina (2002-03-28). "Blazing a Trail for Albany's 'Patroon's Path'". Times Union (Albany). Hearst Communications. p. B1.
  11. ↑ New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources. "Lake Map Series: Region 4, Tivoli Lake" (PDF). State of New York.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Karlin, Rick (2004-10-28). "Nature's Wonders Within Reach". Times Union (Albany). Hearst Communications. p. B1.
  13. ↑ Gesensway, Deborah (1988-05-09). "Albany Grows on Urban Farmers". Times Union (Albany). Hearst Communications. p. A1.
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