Reverend Horace Bushnell believed prosperity was a duty and that civic improvement was critical to a prosperous Hartford. In response to economic decline in the 1840s, he recognized Hartford's long need for spacious ornamental ground and an opportunity for civic improvement. After months of planning, he presented his proposal for a park to Hartford's Court of Common Council on October 5, 1853. The council passed a resolution for the park on December 22, 1853, and a public vote was soon scheduled. Approved by public ballot on January 5, 1854, Bushnell Park was established as America's first public park. After many design efforts over six years, landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann was hired in 1860 to finalize the park's design. Originally called City Park, it was renamed Bushnell Park by the City Council on February 14, 1876, just three days before Bushnell's death.