List of Birmingham parks
This is a list of Birmingham parks, made up of those dedicated as public parks by the Birmingham City Council. Once a park is dedicated, the land can no longer be sold or the space used for any other purpose unless approved in a voter referendum. Action by the council requires a survey of the proposed park land along with other documentation. Except for some parks which operate under agreement with independent boards or organizations, the parks are managed by the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board and maintained by the Birmingham Department of Public Works.
By 1958 the Department maintained 65 city parks covering more than 1,200 acres. By 1994 there were almost 100 named parks, but only seven had been formally dedicated. A number of others were nominally protected by the terms of sale or a bequest, but the degree of protection depended on how the deeds were worded. A developer's 1990 proposal to build houses on Altamont Park led to a public outcry, which resulted in its formal dedication to the public. Following that controversy, the park board undertook a planning process. Many of Birmingham's parks were rededicated under an amended ordinance in 2000. The new ordinance required property surveys, deeds, and council records to be kept on file in the City Clerk's office.
In 2018 the Trust for Public Land credited Birmingham with having 3,979 acres of dedicated park land in 118 parks.
Public parks
District parks
- Avondale Park, rededicated in 2000
- Tom Bradford Park
- Cooper Green Park
- East Lake Park
- Ensley Park, rededicated in 2000
- Fountain Heights Park
- North Birmingham Park, rededicated in 2000
- Roosevelt City Park
- George Ward Park, rededicated in 2000
- M. E. Wiggins Park
Special parks
- Arlington Antebellum House & Gardens
- Birmingham Botanical Gardens (Lane Park)
- Birmingham CrossPlex
- Don A. Hawkins Park (Roebuck-Hawkins Park
- Highland Golf Course
- Huffman Park (Huffman Softball Park)
- Inglenook Park
- Kelly Ingram Park, planned in 1872, acquired in 1883, rededicated in 2000
- Lawson Field
- Linn Park (Charles Linn Park, formerly Central Park, Capitol Park and Woodrow Wilson Park), planned in 1872, acquired in 1883, rededicated in 2000
- Lowery Park
- Lynn Park
- McLendon Park (Legion Field), rededicated in 2000
- One Pratt Park, completed October 2019
- Railroad Park, completed September 2010
- Rickwood Field
- Vulcan Park
- Wahouma Park (formerly Lewis Park)
Other parks
- Altamont Park, purchased 1921, rededicated in 1990s
- Barker Park, Druid Hills
- Birmingham City Park
- Birmingham City Park #3
- Birmingham City Park #7
- Birmingham City Park #27
- Birmingham City Park #36
- Birmingham City Park #39
- Hugo Black Park, dedicated 1985
- Wess Bocker Park
- Brother Bryan Park, formerly Magnolia Park, rededicated in 2000
- Caldwell Park (Highland Avenue), rededicated in 2000
- Central Park
- City Park (Elder Street), rededicated in 2000
- Clairmont Park, rededicated in 2000
- George Clayton Acipco Park, dedicated November 16, 1952
- Crestline Park
- Crestline Tot Lot
- Crestwood Park, rededicated in 2000
- Alma Dennis Park, rededicated in 2000
- Downey Park, 1951, relocated in 1973
- East Brownville Park, dedicated 2006
- Elder Street Nature Park, rededicated in 2000
- Eldorado Park (Old Springville Road), rededicated in 2000
- Julius Ellsberry Park
- Jenny Justo Park, Killough Springs
- Elyton Park
- Bessie Estell Park, rededicated in 2000
- Exchange Park (formerly Shadyside Park), Pike Road & Avenue W, rededicated in 2000
- Fairview Park (Avenue Y and 29th Street), rededicated in 2000
- Germania Park
- Glen Iris Park
- Grasselli Heights Park, dedicated 2006
- Claude Grayson Park, Killough Springs
- Greenwood Park, opened 2012
- Samuel Hairston Baseball Complex
- Hanover Park, rededicated in 2000
- Harriman Park, 4345-4347 F. L. Shuttlesworth Drive in the Harriman Park neighborhood
- Harris Park, Ensley Highlands
- Harrison Park
- Erskine Hawkins Park, rededicated in 2000
- Highland Park (formerly Charley Boswell Golf Course), rededicated in 2000
- Hooper City Park, rededicated in 2000
- Howze-Sanford Park (dedicated 1969, rededicated in 2000
- Jimmie Hudson Park, Pratt Highway and Blount Street, Sandusky, rededicated in 2000
- Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park, dedicated 1999, rededicated in 2000
- Martin Luther King Jr Park
- Key Circle, rededicated in 2000
- Lane Park
- Beulah Lewis Park (66th Street and Interlaken Avenue), rededicated in 2000
- Maclin Park
- Marconi Park (formerly "East Park", at Park Place Apartments) planned in 1872, acquired in 1883, rededicated in 2000
- William L. McAlpine Park, rededicated in 2000
- John McMahon Park, rededicated in 2000
- Memorial Park
- Norwood Park
- Overton Park
- W. C. Patton Park
- Phelan Park, rededicated in 2000
- Powderly Park
- Pratt City Park, dedicated 1913, rededicated in 2000
- Erskine Ramsay Park I (Argyle Road), rededicated in 2000
- Erskine Ramsay Park II (Montclair Road), rededicated in 2000
- Rozelle Reynolds Memorial park, formerly Green Acres Park, 6126 Avenue O, Green Acres
- Rhodes Park (Highland Avenue), rededicated in 2000
- Rotary Trail
- William Rushton Park (Highland Avenue), rededicated in 2000
- Sandridge Park
- Sherman Heights Park, rededicated in 2000
- Arthur Shores Park
- Dorothy Spears Park (formerly East Thomas Park), East Thomas
- Spring Water Park, Sherman Heights
- Stockham Park, Kingston
- Tarpley City Park, dedicated 2006
- Triangle Park
- Tuxedo Park, rededicated in 2000
- Tuxedo Heights Park, rededicated in 2000
- Underwood Park, rededicated in 2000
- Valley View Park, rededicated in 2000
- West Brownville Park, dedicated 2006
- West Cooper Green Park (Flora Avenue), rededicated in 2000
- West Goldwire Park, dedicated 2006
- Willow Wood Park
- Woodward Park (McMillon Avenue and 14th Street Southwest), rededicated in 2000
- Wylam Hills Park
- Wylam Park
Parks owned by the city and managed by other parties
- Birmingham Zoo (Lane Park), operated by Birmingham Zoo Inc. since 1999
- Railroad Park, opened 2010, operated by the Friends of the Railroad District
- Vulcan Park/Vulcan Trail, operated by the Vulcan Park Foundation since 1999
Parks partially owned by the city and managed by other parties
- Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, operated by the Ruffner Mountain Nature Coalition
Public parks in the city of Birmingham, owned and managed by other parties
- Alabama Veterans Memorial Park
- Lake Purdy, owned and managed by the Birmingham Water Works Board
- Red Mountain Park, owned and operated by the Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission
- UAB Campus Green
- UAB Pocket Park
Former parks
- Behren's Park/Mortimer Jordan Park, sold to UAB and used for Young Memorial Field
- Lakeview Park, closed by 1900
- Linn's Park
- Mineral Springs Park, established by North Birmingham in 1886. Dedicated by Birmingham in 1924, became North Birmingham Golf Course in 1926. Land swapped with Birmingham Board of Education for construction of Carver High School.
- South Roebuck Park, closed since 1999.
References
- "Birmingham's Parks (March 14, 1896) The Birmingham News, p. 20
- Hulen, Tara & Melanie Jones (July 27, 1994) "Many of them aren't deeded or dedicated" The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Howell, Vicki (January 26, 2000) "Council rededicates 28 parks." The Birmingham News
- Blackledge, Brett J. (March 8, 2000) "City Council dedicates 17 more parks." The Birmingham News
External links
- City Parks at birminghamal.gov