Roosevelt Park Review

Dylan Trujillo

Andrew Bourelle

11/19/12

Roosevelt Park Review

If you’re looking for a fun, beautiful park in Albuquerque nearby the UNM campus, Roosevelt Park might be the place for you. Roosevelt Park is a monumental park to the city of Albuquerque that provides 13 acres of nature and activity. It is located off of coal and is easy to spot with gigantic elms spilling yellow leaves across the street.  Roosevelt Park is recently renovated with a disc-golf course, stone terrace and jungle gym while offering a fun and natural environment for any person on any day.

If you’re looking for an e and relaxing park Just get on to coal  off of I-25 heading east, take a right on cedar and you’ll have reached a destination that will exceed your expectations. At Roosevelt Park you can find happiness by playing fetch with your dog, touch-football, disc- golf or Frisbee. There’s even a jungle-gym for the little ones or and beautiful trees if your simply enjoying the nature. Roosevelt Park has plenty of space to relax alone or have fun with others and is surrounded by beautiful trees and hills including a disc-golf course! There is a jogging path that runs along the park that is half cement, half rough asphalt that circles the southern end of the park for athletes or runners in the community. There are plenty of sturdy benches for those who don’t want to sit on the green grass or under the tall yellow leaved elms. If you want to sit near the center of the park be sure to keep your head up for the Frisbees whizzing by with dogs and adrenaline-filled teenagers chasing after them. Don’t worry though because this still won’t bother those of you who want to observe the park in peace. The calm minded folks can look down at the whole park from the top of the magnificent stone terrace, or sit on the benches, tables or soft grass throughout the landscape. There is a jungle gym on the north-west side of the park that sits about 100 yards from the large stone terrace. This is where all the young children play with their parents and friends bringing joyful laughter and excitement to the park. The laughter of children and neighbors are complimented by the trees whistling in the wind. Occasionally I can hear the mumble of an announcer for the games at the Lobos or Isotopes Stadium a few blocks away, but luckily it isn’t loud enough to disturb the blissful sounds and feelings I gain when observing the beauty of the Roosevelt Park. With the blissful sounds, beautiful trees, grassy hills and gorgeous sunsets, one is helpless to having at least a slight feeling of peace with nature. Nothing can be more natural than living in the moment for one afternoon at Roosevelt Park by playing with friends or neighbors or even by simply observing and recognizing the park’s beautiful environment.

The park was built in 1933 during the Great Depression and was first called Terrace Park. It is now named after President Franklin Roosevelt due to Mayor Tingleys’ close relationship with Roosevelt who granted funding for the park through the federal Civil Works Administration. (HL) Albuquerque architect Bud Hollies’ designed the park over what literally used to be a trashy arroyo, and after putting more than 120,000 dollars of work into Hollies’ dream the park was transformed into 13 acres of green grass, and 2,250 shrubs and trees such as the Blue Spruce or Siberian Elms. (TCLF & HL) Throughout the many years the park was neglected and in need of the 2.8 million dollar renovation in 2007 making the park a beautiful environment once again. (HL) The City of Albuquerque recognizes Roosevelt Park as an important American cultural landmark which is why they provide regular maintenance why the park remains beautiful today. Due to its landmark status Roosevelt Park is receives federal funding for any necessary restoration needed. All of this historical information is viewable on the city’s official website with explanations that show how amazing the park truly is. (HL)

As a New Mexico resident who’s visited Albuquerque my entire life, I can confidently say I’ve seen more parks in Albuquerque than any other city in the state. The parks that I return to are usually large, beautiful, or meaningful in some way. The reason Roosevelt Park pops out to me amongst the many in Albuquerque is because it brings each of these qualities and more. This park exceeds my common expectations every time with its spacious, peaceful and natural environment. These qualities are easy to see for someone looking out into the beautiful trees and seeing people of the community playing together and observing nature. Compared to the average Albuquerque city park, Roosevelt Park is abundant in trees, benches, space, fun and absolute beauty. I have been to the park many times in the past but only months ago did I notice how close it was to the UNM campus. This park is great for students wanting to go do homework in a peaceful environment, or wanting to exercise/play to relieve stress from schoolwork. If you’re planning on checking out Roosevelt Park you should know that the expectations you have now are nothing compared to the absolute peace and tranquility you will feel upon the first glances out into this nature-filled environment.

            Roosevelt Park in Albuquerque is not only a fantastic park but also a monument of Albuquerque’s environmental efforts during the Great Depression. (HL) The park’s monumental status is responsible the recent renovation and is also why it remains so important to the community. The citizens of Albuquerque can find beauty and fun whenever they need and now I can too. This is the best place to find peace, excitement, or any positive outdoor sensation you desire near the campus area. The next time you’re looking for a park with meaning and beauty, I ask you to please remember Roosevelt Park’s interesting history and my personal experiences at the park because it might help you make a choice that will guarantee you’re satisfaction.

Reflection:

            When writing this I learned how to specifically review the context of a park while providing facts, and combining the two into a persuasively positive review. I also learned how to describe a natural environment through empirical research which was enriching and entertaining. I started the essay by describing the relativity and necessity of the subject as well as describing some of the conveniences that are included with it. I then moved into the descriptive summary paragraphs where I reviewed my most recent experience at the location in full detail relating to the senses. For the summarization paragraph I used historical research from the city of Albuquerque’s website along with information from the Cultural Landscape Foundation’s website and described the importance and meaning behind the creation and history of the park. Afterwards I moved into the common expectations paragraph where I explained the areas I thought the park exceeded in efficiency compared to other parks and explained to the audience more specifically that I like Roosevelt Park. This brought me to my positive position on the park and is why I feel so confident in my review.

Sources:

-"Historic Landmarks."  City of Albuquerque. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cabq.gov/planning/our-department/urban-design-and-development/historic-landmarks>.

-"The Cultural Landscape Foundation." Roosevelt Park. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://tclf.org/landscapes/roosevelt-park>.