Dr. Leonard J. Gordon Park

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Bison statue in the park

Dr. Leonard J. Gordon Park is a municipal park located on Kennedy Boulevard at the edge of the Western Slope in the Heights of Jersey City, New Jersey.[1] It encompasses 5.7 acres (2.3 ha).[2][3]

History[]

Bust of Dr. Leonard J. Gordon in Jersey City Public Library

The park was developed during the City Beautiful movement of the 1890s to 1900s. The Jersey City Charter Company owned the wooded hillside on the western slope of the Hudson Palisades and sold it to Jersey City for $46,000 on September 19, 1907. The park was designed by landscape architect John T. Withers, who incorporated many of the extant boulders and terrain features into his design. Wither, who had been appointed by Mayor H. Otto Wittpenn as the municipal landscaper, also designed Bayside Park in Greenville.[4]

It is named in honor of civic leader Dr. Leonard James Gordon (1844-1905).[5] A bust of Gordon can be found in the Jersey City Public Library, which he was instrumental in founding.[6]

Statues[]

Buffalo and Bears are larger-than-life stone statues by sculptor Solon Hannibal Borglum (1868–1922), who spent his early life on the plains of Utah and Nebraska.[7]

A World War I memorial was placed in the park by the Hudson City Soldiers and Sailors Welfare League and dedicated on November 9, 1930. The statue of a doughboy is a variation of many found across the country.[8]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Parks, Open Space, Recreation, and Reservoir in the Jersey City Heights". www.jcheights.com.
  2. ^ "Leonard Gordon Park Master Plan Report" (PDF). City of Jersey City. February 2019.
  3. ^ Sullivan, Al; Writer, Senior Staff (January 15, 2017). "Brainstorming for Gordon Park".
  4. ^ "Jersey City Past and Present:Leonard J. Gordon Park". Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  5. ^ "The 23 Hudson County people you need to know about from 1867-2017". May 2, 2017.
  6. ^ https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/01/18/101406868.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0[bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ "Public Art Sculptures in the JC Heights". www.jcheights.com.
  8. ^ "10 Memorials to Visit this Memorial Day". May 22, 2020.

Coordinates: 40°44′45″N 74°03′29″W / 40.745727°N 74.057934°W / 40.745727; -74.057934

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