W. C. Patton Park
| W. C. Patton Park | |
|
Birmingham City Parks |
| Years | 2012–present |
|---|---|
| Location | 1200 Sipsey Street, (map) North Avondale |
| Area | 21.1 acres |
| Website | birminghamal.gov |
W. C. Patton Park is a 21.1-acre Birmingham city park located between Coosa Street and Sipsey Street, and between 12th and 14th Avenues North in the North Avondale neighborhood of East Birmingham.
Accessibility upgrades for the park were completed in 2012. Charles Williams & Associates provided design services and Battle Miller Construction submitted the low bid of $136,650 to complete the work. Greenwood Park was completed in 2012 in a similar low-lying area directly opposite I-20/59 from W. C. Patton Park.
The park is named for former educator and NAACP official W. C. Patton, who died in 1997. It adjoins the Shields Conference Center (formerly the Alberta Shields School).
Patton Park was enlarged and improved as part of the Village Creek Linear Park and Retention System Master Plan. The redeveloped park was dedicated on March 11, 2016. The park design was commissioned from Birmingham's GreenView Studio and includes picnic tables, an amphitheater, and a walking trail around a small artificial lake created in the park's flood-prone low-lying areas. Benches and shade structures enhance opportunities to enjoy views across the lake.
In the further development of the Village Creek Greenway as part of the Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System, the park will connect to the East Lake Boulevard Trail running up Coosa Street to East Lake Boulevard and around the north of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
During the tensions following the 2020 George Floyd protests, Mayor Randall Woodfin ordered a citywide curfew which also prohibited public demonstrations. On June 3, 2020 Woodfin carved out an exception, allowing permitted protests and vigils to be held at W. C. Patton Park. The curfew expired on June 8.
Patton Park is often crowded on Sunday afternoons with picnickers. In some cases, large gatherings have been disrupted by violence. One such incident, on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2012 resulted in the death of a bystander, and four others injured by gunfire.
References
- Robinson, Carol (April 4, 2021) "5 hurt, 1 dead after Easter night shooting in crowded Birmingham park; 4 juveniles among the wounded." The Birmingham News
External links
- Patton Park map at gisweb.informationbirmingham.com
- W. C. Patton Park at greenviewstudio.com