Bleecker Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bleecker Park |
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Mansion neighborhood Christmas sign in Bleecker Park, with Madison Place in background
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Albany, New York |
| Area | 16,275 square feet (0.15120 ha) |
| Created | 1835 |
| Operated by | City of Albany |
| Parking | Off-site at nearby Empire State Plaza |
Bleecker Park is a small park in Albany, New York. It's about the size of a small football field, covering 0.37 acres. The park has a triangle shape. It is located between Madison Place, Madison Avenue, and Eagle Street.
Right across Eagle Street from the park is the beautiful Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. Madison Place, a short street next to the park, has old rowhouses built in the 1800s. These houses show off styles like Gothic and Italianate architecture. On Madison Avenue, you'll find the Empire State Plaza East Parking Garage.
Bleecker Park is special because it has the oldest fountain in Albany. This fountain is surrounded by a small, pretty garden. There are also two other round garden beds in the park. Each one has a shrub surrounded by colorful flowers. An article in the Albany Times Union newspaper called Bleecker Park "a most charming and restrained Victorian public garden."
History of Bleecker Park
Bleecker Park was created a long time ago, in 1835. That's when an iron fence was put up around it. A few years later, in 1852, the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception was built across the street. This cathedral is very important to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.
In 1863, something new came to the park: the city's very first public fountain! A man named William Fleming gave it as a gift. The streets around the park also changed their names. Before 1867, Madison Place was called Madison Avenue. And what we know as Madison Avenue today was once Lydius Street. The names were officially changed in the summer of 1867.
In 1986, Albany celebrated its 300th birthday as a city. As part of the celebration, the fence around Bleecker Park got a fresh coat of paint. This work was done by people from the Hudson Correctional Facility. In 2004, Bleecker Park was one of four places in Albany to win a "Sense of Place" award. This award was given during the city's fifth annual History Fair.
