Rushton Park

Sidewalk marker for Rushton Park

Rushton Park is the easternmost of three small parks occupying low-lying basins along Highland Avenue in the Highland Park neighborhood of Birmingham. The parks were designed along with the avenue as collection areas for rainfall, unsuited for building but ideal for aesthetic and recreational use.

Highland Avenue wraps around the southern half of Rushton Park while the northern half is bounded by 30th Place South and 31st Street South. Sites facing the park include Sheraton Apartments, Avalon Condominiums, and Independent Presbyterian Church. The park features a volleyball court and small playground in its center.

History

Rushton Park was part of the Elyton Land Company's 1,500-acre South Highlands development, initiated in 1884 and supervised by chief operating officer Willis J. Milner. Willis' half-brother, John T. Milner, laid out the designs on site.

The park is named for Birmingham alderman and Board of Education president, William J. Rushton Sr. The park contains two markers honoring Rushton, a smaller one along the sidewalk at the park's southern edge and another, larger one featuring a relief bust and short biography inside the park.