City Park’s Development

City Park in Glens Falls serves as a hub for recreation and relaxation and hosts annual events, concerts, and weddings, but the area was once a bustling city block of lavish homes and prestigious businesses. In 1907, business owner Henry Crandall envisioned a park there and began the project by putting sidewalks in his own backyard. Owning the largest amount of land in the future park, he worked to create a pedestrian-friendly place for public enjoyment. After Crandall died in 1913, the effort continued, and in 1917 the Glens Falls Common Council voted to raise funds to buy the remaining property for the park. Later that year, the Glens Falls Insurance Company bought $6.671 worth of bonds to help pay for the transformation. In 1919, the row of Bay Street business buildings was razed, and the demolition of homes followed, ending in 1931 with the Jerome Lapham House on Ridge Street, the former library location. By 1931, the 4.3-acre city block had been transformed into the park Crandall had envisioned. In 2009, the park received a $500,000 upgrade organized by the Glens Falls Business Improvement District and the Crandall Public Library. The bandstand became a permanent structure in the park on March 7, 1928, replacing a small mobile platform and was dedicated on Memorial Day that year. In 1976, the original bandstand was replaced by the nearly identical Bicentennial Bandstand, paid for by the City of Glens Falls and equipped with modern upgrades including a state-of-the-art audio system. In 2009, a second staircase was added so activity on the bandstand could face either direction, and today the bandstand remains a Glens Falls icon and a centerpiece of community events, concerts, and activities.

Glens Falls, New York · United States