User:Okinawalover/Louis Armstrong Memorial Park

The Louis Armstrong Memorial Park is located on Madison Avenue in Montgomery Alabama.

Description
Located at the corner of Madison Avenue and North California Street in the Capitol Heights neighborhood of Montgomery, this neighborhood park is a three acre property with mature trees. It has open green space, benches, and a playground.

Park Background
The park located on Madison Ave and North California is known as the Louis Armstrong Memorial Park. Most people think that is named after the famous jazz player, but it is not. The park is actually named after the late Baptist preacher. Pastor S. Louis Armstrong served as minister at Morning View Baptist Church for forty years. According to one of the area's top historians Carole King, about seventy-five percent of people think that the park is named after the famous horn player from New Orleans. Armstrong was considered to very popular at Morningview Baptist Church from May 25, 1949, up until his resignation in October 1989. Although Pastor S. Louis Armstrong was beloved by his congregation, the decision to name the park after was not as beloved with a few of the Capitol Height residents. These residents had no problem with Armstrong, they just thought that it would be more appropriate to name the park after Col. James S. Pinkard.

Pinkard was the original developer of the neighborhood in the early 1900s. His home actually stood where the park stands now. He built a beautiful home that used European marble. It was constructed sometime around 1907 or 1908. Parts of his home still exist behind the park. This lovely home was designed by Frank Lockwood, he also works with Montgomery's Landmark Foundation. The house itself burned down in the late 1960s. The house has been gone for a long time and for a while there was a big empty lot there. Around 1985 or 1986 the city was persuaded to purchase the empty lot and create a park before it became a a fast food restaurant. According to Carole King, many invested with the neighborhoods history wanted the park to be named after Pinkard. In 1988, mayor Emery Fulmar performed a dedication to Louis Armstrong Park in Montgomery, Alabama.