Washington Park (Dubuque, Iowa)
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Washington Park
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The Gazebo at Washington Park.
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| Location | Dubuque, IA |
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| Coordinates | 42°29′56.86″N 90°40′4.98″W / 42.4991278°N 90.6680500°WCoordinates: 42°29′56.86″N 90°40′4.98″W / 42.4991278°N 90.6680500°W |
| Part of | Cathedral Historic District (#85002501) |
| NRHP Reference # | 77000515 |
| Added to NRHP | July 14, 1977 |
Washington Park (also known as Washington Square) is a small public, urban park (1 acre) located in Downtown Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The park encompasses an entire city block, bordered on the north by West 7th Street, on the west by Bluff Street, on the south by West 6th Street, and on the east by Locust Street. The park is located between the city's post office and the Dubuque Museum of Art.
It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and it was included as a contributing property in the Cathedral Historic District in 1985.
The block where Washington Park is located today was one of the original 35 blocks plotted out by surveyor G.W. Harrison in 1833 when the city was founded. From the beginning, the land was set aside for public use. The first church and first jail in Iowa were located on this land. In 1857, the area was designated as Washington Park.
In 1877, the Dubuque City Council had all the buildings on the block torn down. Shrubs and flowers were planted, walkways were established, and a 40-foot (12 m)-high Oriental gazebo was built on the grounds for $200. This gazebo, which was built by local architects Fridolin Heer and Edward Eaescher, was widely viewed as one of the finest pavilions in the area. On August 24, 1877, approximately 2,000 people attended the formal dedication of the park.
In 1878, a public drinking fountain was erected in the park. The city paid for half the cost, with the remaining half covered by private donations. A statue of Dr. Henry Cogswell was placed on top of this drinking fountain. Cogswell had promised the city that he would donate a statue for the fountain (which was supposed to be of a local heroine who had walked some distance to stop a train before it could come to a washed out bridge and derail). When the statue was uncovered for the first time, it turned out to be a statue of Cogswell. The statue remained in place until 1900, when a group of vandals pulled the statue down and buried it under what would be a new sidewalk. The following day, the new sidewalk was poured which entombed the object. The water fountain was gone by 1912, however, the statue is rumoured to still be buried under a sidewalk at the park.
Public events at the square over the years included Buffalo Bill Cody's "Authentic Wild West Show" performing in 1896 and President William McKinley giving a speech in 1899.
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