PARTNERS FOR PLANTS AT KENEY PARK STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION*
Thank you for your interest in the design competition! We hope you’ll enjoy exploring the information here as you get to know Keney Park. Please direct any questions to: p4pkeneypark@gmail.com
NOTE: You must register here by December 1, 2014, to indicate your intent to enter the competition.
Statement from Superintendent of Public Works, City of Hartford
“It is worth contemplating what John Olmsted and Charles Eliot might think if they were to see Keney Park in its present condition. More than a century has passed since they first laid eyes on Keney Park, and many of the original trails and park roads remain in the location they were first set down. Yet, much has changed. The forest is older, and some common species are gone while others have recently returned. Passenger pigeons, undoubtedly once regular visitors to the Park, are now extinct, and most grassland species of birds and butterflies have been extirpated. White-tailed deer were scarce in the state after the Civil War to the 1960s, but are now abundant in the park. Other species have prospered in recent years and are observed regularly in the Park, including wild turkey and black bear. Indeed, the Park supports regionally important populations of migrant songbirds, especially wood thrush and red-eyed vireo.
It is likely that Olmsted and Eliot would quickly recognize many changes in animal and plant distribution in the Park. But how would they feel about the quality of experience provided to each human visitor?
The City remains committed to the vision set forth by Olmsted and Eliot, that Keney Park contain no artificial landscapes, such as manicured lawns or formal gardens, and “to preserve and to encourage wildness of vegetation, planting only native trees and shrubs…” Going forward, Keney Park will figure prominently in any assessment of the attractiveness of Hartford as a place to live and work, not just to visit. It is hard to imagine a more verdant and sylvan setting for Hartford residents to thrive.” — Tom Baptist, Superintendent of Public Works, Hartford
GENERAL INFORMATION
A History of Keney Park [22 MB]
( "A History of Keney Park, Hartford, Connecticut," by Todd Jones, January 2011, from the Hartford History Center, Hartford Public Library)
At Risk: The City of Hartford Parks System
(The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Stewardship Through Education: October 16, 2009)Keney Park Self-Guided Tour Map (6.2 MB)
CONTEST RULES & MAP INSTRUCTIONS:
• Design Contest Registration (Note: Intent to register is required by December 1, 2014)
• Design Contest Rules
• Instructions for Layering in a PDF Map
• Locations of Park Entrances
MAPS OF AREAS OF FOCUS FOR DESIGN:
• Barbour St. Entrance
• Pond House Entrance
• Ridgefield St. Entrance
• Windsor Ave. Entrance
• Woodland Entrance
• Barbour Street Plant Management Area Map
• Plants in the Barbour Street Plant Management Area
POINT OF VIEW MAPS AND PHOTOS:
• Barbour St. Entrance:
Map
Photos
• Pond House Entrance:
Map
Photos
• Ridgefield St. Entrance:
Map
Photos
• Windsor Ave. Entrance:
Map
Photos
• Woodland Entrance:
Map
Photos
PLANT IDENTIFICATION & SITE CONDITIONS (keyed to maps of areas of focus, above):
• Barbour St. Entrance Plant Identification & Site Conditions
• Pond House Plant Identification & Site Conditions
• Ridgefield St. Entrance Plant Identification & Site Conditions
• Windsor Ave. Entrance Plant Identification & Site Conditions
• Woodland Entrance Plant Identification & Site Conditions
ORIGINAL OLMSTED BROTHERS LISTS OF TREES AND OF SHRUBS SUITABLE FOR THE PLANTATIONS OF KENEY PARK, HARTFORD *
*Courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
• List of Trees (2 pages)
• List of Shrubs (4 pages)
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