Elizabeth Park, Hartford

Elizabeth Park
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
File:Elizabeth Park greenhouse and herb garden, August 10, 2008.jpg
The greenhouse and herb garden at Elizabeth Park
Location	Asylum Ave West Hartford, Connecticut
Coordinates
Area	102 acres (41 ha)
NRHP Reference #	83001259
Added to NRHP	March 10, 1983

File:Rose Garden and environs at Elizabeth Park, August 10, 2008.jpg

The Rose Garden, with the greenhouse in the background

Elizabeth Park is a city park located in Hartford and West Hartford, Connecticut. It is covers 102 acres (41 ha) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The site was previously owned by financier Charles M. Pond of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad and Hartford National Bank, and a treasurer of Connecticut (1870–71). In 1894 he bequeathed his estate to the City of Hartford with the stipulation that it be named for his deceased wife, Elizabeth. The city took possession in 1897 and engaged the famed Olmsted and Son for landscaping.

In 1904 the park's first superintendent, Theodore Wirth, created its renowned Rose Garden (2.5 acres or 1.0 ha). In the 1970s the city decided it could no longer afford the garden, and in fact determined to plow it under; however volunteers banded together and came to the rescue. It is the oldest municipal rose garden in the United States, and currently contains about 15,000 bushes of 800 rose varieties.

In 1977 volunteers banded together with Vic Jarm (Park Superintendent at the time) to form the Friends of Elizabeth Park and save the Rose Garden. Their first mission was to raise $10,000 to replace many of the rose bushes that died from lack of care. Since then the Friends of Elizabeth Park have assisted the City of Hartford in maintaining the Rose Garden as well as the other horticultural gardens in the park and have raised funds for the restoration of the historic greenhouses and the Elizabeth Pond Memorial in 1997, also known as the Pond House Cafe. Most of the financial support for the park through the efforts of the FEP comes from individuals, the Ethel Donaghue Trust and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Today the park encompasses many garden areas, pathways, century-old Lord and Burnham greenhouses, lawns, bowling greens, tennis courts, a picnic grove, and a scenic pond. The border between Hartford and West Hartford has moved since the park was established, with the odd result that one of Hartford's largest parks is now located primarily within the Town of West Hartford.

Image gallery

• Dawn Redwood in Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT - June 22, 2013.jpg

  Dawn Redwood, June 2013 Pictured: Ed Richardson, who mapped the trees in Elizabeth Park.

• Kwanzan Cherry Tree with benches, Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT - May 12, 2013.jpg

  Kwanzan Cherry Tree, May 2013

• Shagbark Hickory in Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT - October 14, 2010.jpg

  Shagbark Hickory, October 2010

• Savatieri Mono Maple, Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT - May 7, 2015.jpg

  Savatieri Mono Maple, May 2015

• Sourwood Tree, Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT - October 31, 2010.jpg

  Sourwood Tree, October 2010

• White Oak Tree, Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT - September 25, 2013.jpg

  White Oak, September 2013

• Redbud Tree, Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT - May 12, 2015.jpg

  Redbud Tree, May 2015

• Kousa Dogwood Tree, Elizabeth Park, West Hartford, CT - June 23, 2015.jpg

  Kousa Dogwood, June 2015

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford, Connecticut
• National Register of Historic Places listings in West Hartford, Connecticut

References

• Elizabeth Park
• Alicia Cornelio, Elizabeth Park: A Century of Beauty, Donning Publishers, 2004. ISBN 1-57864-242-6.
• GardenSmart article