Named for the community member who started the APR Afterschool program, this neighborhood park in Beverly Hills is a great spot to connect with nature.
Features
- Benches
- Open Space
Parties and Rentals
History
Ann Patton Joyce made a lasting community impact as an APR team member. She held several different positions with the department from 1980 to 1991, best known for her work in creation of APR Afterschool and formation of Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games.
A native of Morganton, she taught swimming lessons and was a lifeguard in high school. While pursuing her interest in recreation, she served as an intern with Morganton Parks & Recreation while earning her degree from UNC Chapel Hill. After graduation, she first worked for Durham Parks & Recreation helping to provide opportunities for community members with visual impairments and developmental disabilities. It was there that she met her husband, Jeff. Later, both worked as APR community center directors and she eventually supervised APR’s 11 community centers.
After a fight with cancer, she passed away in 1991 at 35. Following a request from the Beverly Hills neighborhood, Ann Patton Joyce Park was dedicated in 1993 on Hawthorne Road. Two grassy patches at either end of the park flank a natural area in the center filled with mountain laurel, wild flowers, a stream, and maple, oak, sourwood, and dogwood trees.
Do you have photos or stories to share about Anne Patton Joyce Park? Please send them to cbubenik@ashevillenc.gov so the City of Asheville can be inspired by the past as we plan our future.
Photo and Image Credits
- When Ann Patton Joyce Park first opened, it featured a toddler playground and other elements to recognize Joyce’s devotion to child development, family, and community.
- Today, Ann Patton Joyce Park is a great place to connect with neighbors and nature along a mountain stream.