Burnside Park (Providence, Rhode Island)

Burnside Park is a small park situated in Downtown Providence, Rhode Island, adjacent to Kennedy Plaza. The park is named for Ambrose Burnside, a general in the American Civil War from Rhode Island. An equestrian statue of Ambrose Burnside was erected in the late 19th century and sits in the center of the park.[1]

Burnside Park
Burnside park on a snowy day
LocationProvidence, Rhode Island
Coordinates41.8248224°N 71.4111676°W / 41.8248224; -71.4111676

History

"Burnside Park" was originally known as City Hall Park. Some of the current park is located on the land that was formerly part of the Cove Basin.[2] The rest was purchased from the Old Colony Railroad Company and the New York and New England Railroad Companies.[3] The park was dedicated in 1892 and landscaped following the completion of Union Station in 1898. Monumental sculpture was added in the first decade of the 20th century, including the resetting of the equestrian portrait of General Ambrose E. Burnside (1887, Launt Thompson, sculptor) from Exchange Place in 1906.[3]

Burnside Park was the location of the camp of the Occupy Providence Movement (patterned after the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City) during the Fall of 2011.[4]

Artworks

Bajnotti Fountain

The centerpiece of the park is the Bajnotti Fountain, sculpted in 1902 by Enid Yandell.[5] At the time of its erection, it was referred to as the Carrie Brown Memorial Fountain.[3] The fountain was a gift to the City of Providence by Italian Diplomat Signor Paul Bajnotti.[6] It was commissioned as a memorial to Bajnotti's wife, Carrie Mathilde Brown, daughter of Nicholas Brown III, for whom the Carrie Tower is also named.[7]

Burnside Statue
Main article: Equestrian statue of Ambrose Burnside

A 20-foot tall bronze statue by Irish-American sculptor Launt Thompson depicts Rhode Island Governor, Senator, and Civil War general Ambrose Burnside on horseback. A public campaign raised $30,000 to build a statue in Burnside's honor.[8] The statue was unveiled July 4, 1887. It was restored in early 2015, as part of an overall upgrade to the downtown Kennedy Plaza area.[8]

References
  1. Wilson, np.; Eicher, p. 156.
  2. "Cove Basin a.k.a. Waterplace Park". Art In Ruins. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  3. City Auditor's Annual Report showing the appropriations, receipts and expenditures of the city of Providence, RI 1913. Providence, RI. 1913. p. 133. Retrieved February 20, 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. Reynolds, Mark (October 15, 2016). "Occupy Providence protests plan to revamp Kennedy Plaza, Burnside Park". Providence Journal. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  5. Woodward, Wm. McKenzie, Downtown Providence Historic District National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1983. On File at Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, Providence.
  6. Van Siclen, Bill (September 3, 2015). "Check it Out: 5 outdoor sculptures you should see in Providence". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  7. Mitchell, Martha. "From Martha Mitchell's Encyclopedia Brunoniana: Carrie Tower". Encyclopedia Brunoniana. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  8. Hill, John (August 3, 2015). "Refurbished statue of Gen. Burnside is ready for inspection in Providence". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Burnside Park, Providence, Rhode Island.
Parks in Providence, Rhode Island

Burnside Park · India Point Park · Prospect Terrace Park · Roger Williams National Memorial · Roger Williams Park · Waterplace Park


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