The Village Green - Bar Harbor, ME
Posted by: 
denben
N 44° 23.261 W 068° 12.266
19T E 563367 N 4915240
Village Green is an urban park in Bar Harbor, Maine. Located in the center of the city, it is bounded by Firefly Lane, Main Street, Mount Desert Street and Kennebec Street.
Waymark Code: WM16XKB
Location: Maine, United States
Date Posted: 10/25/2022
Views: 2
Although the park is unfenced, its six paved entrances are on Main Street and Mount Desert Street, Mount Desert Street and Kennebec Street, Kennebec Street, two on Firefly Lane, and one on Main Street and Firefly Lane. The bisector paths encourage pedestrians to cross the park rather than around it.
A granite bench, in memory of John Whittington Roberts (1870-1904), sits in the middle of the Main Street side, next to the original cast iron street clock from 1896 (moved to this location in 1905), while a lion fountain is beside the Main Street and Mount Desert entrance. An armed forces monument also stands on the side of Mount Desert, just beyond the fountain.
A bandstand stands near the northern side of the park.
A 17th-century Italian tiered fountain with 21 spigots, donated by John Callendar Livingston in 1909, stands in the southwest corner of the park. It was restored in 1992 by sculptor Clark Fitz-Gerald after being inactive for thirty years.
History
The short-lived Grand Central Hotel occupied the corner of Main and Mount Desert Streets from 1873 to 1899, when it was demolished and the space given to the town's Village Improvement Association.
The bandstand was originally the park's only amenity, albeit in a different location in the park than it is today. After a visit from sitting United States president William Howard Taft in 1910, however, a desire for additional development was kickstarted.
In the 1920s, Beatrix Farrand designed the pathways and had the bandstand rebuilt, as well as the layout of the current landscaping.
A six-year renovation of the park began in 1999. In 2010, the park underwent further improvements — to the footpaths, lighting, planting, and the fountain area.
In 2012, the American Planning Association named the park as one of their top ten Great Places in America for Public Spaces.
Source: Wikipedia (
visit link)
The "Museum in the Streets" panel next to the lion fountain reads:
"The Village Green was originally the site of the 350-room Grand Hotel. Many stories have been told about the immature Boston boys and the cultured Philadelphia girls who socialized around the “fish pond” at the nearby Rodick House. The Hotel was purchased by the town and demolished in 1899, making room for the park designed by noted landscape architect Beatrix Farrand. The first of many concerts that continue to this day was held July 21, 1899. Another feature of interest is the exquisite Italian 17th century bronze fountain from Florence, Italy, donated by Philip Livingston in memory of his wife Julia. On the Main Street side of the park is the town clock visible in this picture which was donated in 1892 by Mrs. William Tucker and her two sons of Boston."