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Department of the Interior Announces Designation of Memorial Park on the National Register of Historic Places
November 9, 2017 Jacksonville, Fla. The Memorial Park Association today announced that the U.S. Department of the Interior has added Memorial Park to the National Park Services National Register of Historic Places.
The park was the product of Jacksonville citizens who banded together soon after the end of the First World War to honor Floridians who died during the war, and it is the only statewide World War I memorial, said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. It is also a significant example of park design, anchored by a large sculpture created by noted artist Charles Adrian Pillars.
Memorial Park is a community treasure that continues to draw people of all ages to a diverse variety of special events, or to simply relax and admire its beauty. This designation will help this landmark continue to attract old and new visitors for generations to come, explained Jacksonville Mayor, Lenny Curry.
Memorial Park has always been Jacksonvilles premier historic park. And now, thanks to the efforts of the Memorial Park Association and especially the tenacity of past association president Agnes Danciger, we are on the Register and nationally recognized as such. What an honor to achieve this status. And what better timing as Memorial Park is on the eve of celebrating its centennial year. said Percy Rosenbloom III, President of the Memorial Park Association.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
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About Memorial Park and the Memorial Park Association
Memorial Park is located at 1620 Riverside Ave., between Margaret Street and Memorial Park Drive in Riverside near the Five Points area of Jacksonville, Fla. Established in 1986, the Memorial Park Association is a nonprofit charitable organization serving its mission to enhance, promote and preserve Memorial Park as the premier historic park in the City of Jacksonville.
Designed by the famed Olmsted Brothers and dedicated on Dec. 25, 1924, it is the only park in the state dedicated to the 1,220 Floridians who lost their lives in service during World War I. In 2012, the Memorial Park Association initiated major planning efforts to restore and rehabilitate Memorial Park to its original grandeur, culminating in the development of a viable master plan that will serve as the foundation for continued restoration efforts.
Learn more about Memorial Park and the Memorial Park Association here or visit them on Facebook. The Memorial Park Association recently established a recovery fund in response to damage caused by Hurricane Irma. Donations may be made online at memparkjax.org/donate.
About The National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is a list maintained by the National Park Service which includes historical or archaeological properties including buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts, that are considered worthy of preservation because of their local, statewide and/or national significance. Nominations for properties in Florida are submitted to the National Park Service through the Florida Department of States Division of Historical Resources. Florida has over 1,700 listings on the National Register, including 292 historical districts and 174 archaeological sites. There are more than 50,000 sites contributing to the National Register in Florida. For more information, visit flheritage.com/preservation/national-register. For more information about the National Register of Historic Places program administered by the National Park Service, visit nps.gov/nr.
About The Florida Department of State’s Bureau of Historic Preservation
The Bureau of Historic Preservation conducts historic preservation programs aimed at identifying, evaluating, preserving and interpreting the historic and cultural resources of the state. The Bureau manages the Florida Main Street Program, and under federal and state laws, oversees the National Register of Historic Places program for Florida, maintains an inventory of the state’s historical resources in the Florida Master Site File, assists applicants in federal tax benefit and local government ad valorem tax relief programs for historic buildings, and reviews the impact that development projects may have on significant historic resources. For more information, visit flheritage.com/preservation.
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