McGolrick Park

Monsignor McGolrick Park is located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in New York City, between Driggs Avenue to the south, Russell Street to the west, Nassau Avenue to the north, and Monitor Street to the east.HistoryThe land for the park was acquired by the city in 1889 and the park was open by 1891. It was originally called Winthrop Park after an assemblyman, Col. Winthrop Jones, who acquired the $132,825 for the purchase and who happened to be the son of the Parks Commissioner. Jones died in 1890, shortly after the park's creation. In 1941 the park was renamed for Monsignor Edward J. McGolrick (1857-1938), the longtime pastor of nearby St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church. Winthrop Jones had had no children, and so left no family in Greenpoint to oppose the renaming of the park he had helped establish.FeaturesThe classical brick and limestone Shelter Pavilion was built in 1910 by Helmle and Huberty. It was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It was rehabilitated in 1985.West of the pavilion stands a bronze winged victory figure created by Carl Augustus Heber in 1923. The monument honors the 150 residents of Greenpoint, Brooklyn who fought in World War I. The statue depicts a female allegorical figure, holding aloft a modified laurel, a symbol of victory, and in her right hand supporting a large palm frond, a symbol of peace. The granite pedestal is inscribed with the names of battle sites in France. The monument was commissioned at a cost of $7,300 by the Greenpoint Memorial Association.