McGolrick Park
Encyclopedia
Monsignor McGolrick Park is located in Greenpoint
, Brooklyn
, between Driggs Avenue to the south, Russell Street to the west, Nassau Avenue to the north, and Monitor Street to the east.
native and co-owned a lumberyard at the corner of Kent and West Streets. In 1941 the park was renamed for Monsignor Edward J. McGolrick (1857-1938), pastor of St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church nearby. Winthrop Jones had had no children, and so left no family in Greenpoint to oppose the renaming of the park he had helped establish.
ironclad ship.
West of the pavilion stands a bronze winged victory figure created by Carl Augustus Heber
(1875–1956) in 1923. The monument honors those residents of Greenpoint, Brooklyn who fought in World War I
. The statue depicts a female allegorical figure, holding aloft a modified laurel, a symbol of victory, and in her right hand supporting a large palm frond, a symbol of peace
. The granite pedestal is inscribed with the names of battle sites in France. The monument was commissioned at a cost of $7,300 by the Greenpoint Memorial Association.
The park is featured in Episode 8 of the HBO Series Flight of the Conchords
as the scene of a musical montage.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, between Driggs Avenue to the south, Russell Street to the west, Nassau Avenue to the north, and Monitor Street to the east.
History
The land for the park was acquired by the city in 1889 and the park was open by 1891. It was originally called Winthrop Park after an assemblyman, Col. Winthrop Jones, who was instrumental in obtaining the $132,825 appropriation for the purchase, and who was also the son of the Parks Commissioner. He died in 1890, shortly after the Park's creation. According to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jones was a MaineMaine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
native and co-owned a lumberyard at the corner of Kent and West Streets. In 1941 the park was renamed for Monsignor Edward J. McGolrick (1857-1938), pastor of St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church nearby. Winthrop Jones had had no children, and so left no family in Greenpoint to oppose the renaming of the park he had helped establish.
Features
Prominent features of the park include the classical Shelter Pavilion (1910) (NRHP), which was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, and a monument (1938) to the USS MonitorUSS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...
ironclad ship.
West of the pavilion stands a bronze winged victory figure created by Carl Augustus Heber
Carl Augustus Heber
Carl Augustus Heber was an American sculptor noted for his public monuments.Heber was born in Stuttgart, Germany and at a young age moved to Dundee, Illinois. He moved to Chicago where he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with Lorado Taft...
(1875–1956) in 1923. The monument honors those residents of Greenpoint, Brooklyn who fought in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The statue depicts a female allegorical figure, holding aloft a modified laurel, a symbol of victory, and in her right hand supporting a large palm frond, a symbol of peace
Peace symbol
A number of peace symbols have been used in various cultures and contexts, one of the most ancient being the olive branch. The dove and olive branch was used by early Christians and was later adopted as a secular symbol. It was popularised by Pablo Picasso in 1949 and became widely used in the...
. The granite pedestal is inscribed with the names of battle sites in France. The monument was commissioned at a cost of $7,300 by the Greenpoint Memorial Association.
Flight of the Conchords (TV series)
Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement...
as the scene of a musical montage.
External links
- Shelter Pavilion description and photos from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_divisions/capital/pd_proj_month_jul_01.html
- More on Winthrop Park
- http://www.mcgolrickparkproject.com/