Townsend Park

Townsend Park is a small urban park in Albany, New York. It encompasses a triangle of land formed by the Y-intersection of Central and Washington avenues (north and south borders respectively), with the third (western) border formed by Henry Johnson Boulevard.HistoryA fence enclosure was put around the park in 1833, by nearby residents and the park was christened Washington Park after George Washington with the intentions of erecting a statue in his honor, but the city later changed the name in honor of former Mayor John Townsend, Washington going to nearby former State Street Parade Grounds as Washington Park.In 1928 a Spanish–American War monument was erected in the western end of the park.In 2009 as part of an effort to spruce up the park the Central Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) removed the park benches and picnic tables and replaced them with metal mesh topped poles. Some of those who work in the area protested the removal of the benches by the organization as an attempt to limit public accessibility, particular the comfort and availability to use the new seating by the disabled. Since the benches have been removed, crime rates within the park have significantly decreased and vacancies have decreased. According to Albany Police Department's Crime Analysis Center’s statistics, in the last five years crime has decreased from 113 total crimes in 2009 to 73 in 2013 (13 percent total.) In addition, the neighborhood has become a center for ethnic restaurants, featuring Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern and several Indian restaurants.