Monsignor McGolrick Park is located in

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brookly ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, 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 named Winthrop Park after an assemblyman, Col. Winthrop Jones, who acquired the land for purchase and who happened to be the son of the Parks Commissioner. Jones died in 1890, shortly after the park's creation. In 1941 the park was renamed for Monsignor Edward J. McGolrick (1857-1938), the longtime pastor of nearby St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church. Winthrop Jones had had no children, and so left no family in Greenpoint to oppose the renaming of the park he had helped establish. The park was used as a setting in the 2018 film, An Interview with God.

Features

The classical brick and limestone Shelter Pavilion was built in 1910 by Helmle and Huberty. It was designated a

New York City Landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

in 1966 and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1980. It was rehabilitated in 1985. West of the pavilion stands a bronze winged victory figure created by

Carl Augustus Heber Carl Augustus Heber (April 15, 1874 or 1875 –1956) 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 In ...

in 1923. The monument honors the 150 residents of Greenpoint, Brooklyn who fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. 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 The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm ''( Phoenix)'' was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient Egypt represented immortality. ...

, a

symbol of peace A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a ''Dove'' lithograph by ...

. 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 Monitor and the Merrimac'' is a sculpture by Antonio de Filippo, which commemorates the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack. The ''

USS Monitor USS ''Monitor'' was an ironclad warship built for the Union Navy during the American Civil War and completed in early 1862, the first such ship commissioned by the Navy. ''Monitor'' played a central role in the Battle of Hampton Roads on 9 Ma ...

'' was built nearby at the

Continental Iron Works The Continental Iron Works was an American shipbuilding and engineering company founded in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 1861 by Thomas F. Rowland. It is best known for building a number of monitor warships for the United States Navy during the Am ...

in Greenpoint and outfitted at the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

References

External links

Msgr. McGolrick Park

Friends of McGolrick Park

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City 1910 establishments in New York City Urban public parks Parks in Brooklyn Greenpoint, Brooklyn National Register of Historic Places in Brooklyn