University Park, also called Crystal Park, is a public park in the

Main South Main South (or South Main) is a neighborhood in southern Worcester, Massachusetts. The area's eponymous feature is Main Street, the central roadway of the city. Main South experienced rapid economic development from the 1890s until the 1950s. ...

neighborhood of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. The park was acquired by the city from 1887 to 1889, costing nearly 62,000 dollars. It is located across Main Street from

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research uni ...

, thus the name.

University Park Campus School The University Park Campus School is a public school in the Main South neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It had 239 students in grades 712 as of 201718. Opened in 1997, the school is operated by a partnership between nearb ...

, a local nearby public high school founded with help from Clark, is named after the park. On September 20, 2010, Clark University announced a "20-year voluntary

Payment in Lieu of Taxes A payment in lieu of taxes, abbreviated as PILT or PILOT, is a payment made to compensate a government for some or all of the property tax revenue lost due to tax exempt ownership or use of real property. Canada In Canada, payment in lieu of taxes ...

agreement" with the City of Worcester, with some of the funds going directly to improvements in University Park. On March 24, 2011, the $1.5 million park redevelopment project was formally announced, and residents were informed that there would be a several-month-long community engagement and participatory planning process.

References

Parks in Worcester, Massachusetts Clark University 1887 establishments in Massachusetts {{WorcesterCountyMA-geo-stub