Featuring a rolling landscape and expansive views of the French Broad River, Murray Hill Park’s walking trail and pavilion with benches and tables is a great spot to connect with nature or throw a frisbee with friends.
Features
- Benches
- Gazebo
- Tables
- Off-street parking
- Paved walking path
Parties and Rentals
History
Decades before Herb Watts helped transform a vacant lot into a park, another law enforcement officer took space next to a public playground a few blocks away where Murray Hill Park is now located and established a baseball league for Black youth. Deputy George Bishop founded Asheville Varsity Club in 1957 and teams like the Blue Birds and Green Hornets played in the park until the league disbanded around 1969 with integration of Asheville City Schools and other local institutions.
Discussions to develop Murray Hill Park into a neighborhood gathering space with a larger playground, seating areas, and picnic shelters came in starts and stops over the years. In 1979, Bartlett Arms Apartments opened on the site of the old baseball diamond and much of the remaining land was paved to create parking.
Through a series of transactions, part of the undeveloped property was sold to create Overview Apartments for independent older adults in 1998. APR used proceeds from the sale to develop the modern Murray Hill Park.
Most of the current park area was a parking lot that was converted to green space. The 5.5 acre park includes a gazebo, seating areas, paved walking loop, grills, community garden, expansive views of French Broad River, and green space for recreational activities.
But why is it called Murray Hill? One of Asheville City Schools’ earliest campuses was Tiernan School, named for a street that used to run through the area where the park is now located. It was renamed Murray School in 1908 honoring J.L. Murray, the City of Asheville’s superintendent of water and streets whose estate established an endowment for city schools. Later, it was known as Murray Hill School before being demolished in 1938.
For more on Southside and Black roots in Asheville, read the Asheville African American Heritage Resource Survey.
Do you have photos or stories to share about Murray Hill 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
- The Blue Birds, pictured circa 1961, were one of eight Black baseball teams in the boys’ Asheville Varsity Club. The club’s founder, George Bishop, is pictured on the back row. Courtesy of Buncombe County Special Collections, Pack Memorial Public Library, Asheville, North Carolina.
- Located at the convergence of the Southside, South French Broad, and River Arts District neighborhoods, Murray Hill Park features a paved loop walking trail, as well as a gazebo with benches, grills, and picnic tables.