Washington Gladden Social Justice Park

Named after Rev. Dr. Washington Gladden (1836-1918), the Washington Gladden Social Justice Park was built by the First Congregational Church, the church that owns the lot and is located directly across the park. The church bought the land in 2010 and the park was dedicated and opened on October 28^th, 2019 with further developments planned. The park is one of the first dedicated explicitly to social justice and located a few blocks from the Ohio Statehouse. A sculpture, “Our Single Garment of Destiny” stands on the corner and is designed to offer an optical illusion of “disappearing” depending on the angle it is looked at. 

The lot that the park is located on has a varied history of being the setting of stables and a carriage house, a used car lot, and then a vacant parking lot before the church purchased the land with the dream of a community park of sorts. In 2016 a $3.7 million dollar donation revived the project after several years of limited funds and abilities. The donor’s familial ancestors had connections with Rev. Washington Gladden, which further prompted his name to be honored in the park’s title. While the park broke ground on March 27, 2018 with a ceremony featuring speakers and performers, there are still developments in the works as of 2021, including a “pathway of justice” which is described as being “The central path of the park …composed of blue stone inserts that are engraved with famous quotes related to designated social justice themes.” The blue stones form “a pattern that is based upon a modified Morse Code. Solving the code [will reveal] various words associated with social justice.”

The First Congregational Church began in 1852 as a group of abolitionists split from the Second Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio, amicably and with a $1,000 loan from their previous congregation. Known at the time as the Third Presbyterian Church, the congregation was later renamed First Congregational Church. In 1882 Rev. Washington Gladden served as the minister of the church and grew the congregation as well as a national following. Serving for 36 years, Dr. Gladden is credited for solidifying the witness and program of First Church during his time at the church. Before coming to the First Congregational Church, Rev. Gladden had been a pastor in New York and Massachusetts. Rev. Gladden worked for the New York Independent, a weekly newspaper, where he was an editor and published articles combining his Christian theology and values and societal issues. Rev. Gladden’s work became well-known as he added criticism and exposure towards Boss Tweed and the Tweed Ring.

Authoring around 40 books, and writing poems and hymns, Rev. Gladden spoke not only of his faith but of social issues. He is often cited as one of the fathers of the Social Gospel movement. He advocated for unions, publicly rejected John D. Rockefeller’s “tainted” money as a charitable gift, and was against segregation and supported measures which supported African Americans and recognized racism.

The park shares the history of Washington Gladden and other historical figures with connections to social justice and the state of Ohio. Since 2018 there has been a mural of other historical figures who supported social justice initiatives, though it is not meant to be permanent. Other social justice leaders recognized in the mural are Frances Watkins Harper, an African-American abolitionist, suffragist, and poet, and Florence Allen, the first woman to serve as a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court and one of the first two women to serve as a United States federal judge. The mural also features Joseph Schonthal, a philanthropist who rose from country peddler to factory owner, and devoted many years helping immigrants and children and Celia Jeffrey, who founded a settlement house on the West Side with Gladden that later became known as the Gladden Community House. The mural also includes Reverend James Poindexter, a politician and civil rights activist who became the first African-American on the Columbus City Council and Bishop John A. Watterson, who helped found Mount Carmel and St. Anthony hospitals and the Pontifical College Josephinum, and the namesake for Bishop Watterson High School.

An eye-catching sculpture titled “Our Single Garment of Destiny,” inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was unveiled on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2021. Artists Julian and Andriana Voss-Andreae, who are husband and wife and from Portland, Oregon, were selected after a nationwide search for public artwork to display. The metal sculpture is 5,500 pounds and a change of perspective changes the sculpture’s appearance as one angle will display six people and another angle will have the sculpture fade away. This is accomplished by fusing thin vertical plates together and provokes the viewer to think deeply about the meaning. 

King, Danae. Vacant lot envisioned as focal point of social justice movement, The Columbus Dispatch. March 18 2018. Accessed August 2 2021. https://www.dispatch.com/news/20180318/vacant-lot-envisioned-as-focal-point-of-social-justice-movement.

King, Danae. Mural at new park honors Columbus’ social-justice pioneers, The Columbus Dispatch. October 28 2018. Accessed August 2 2021. https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181028/mural-at-new-park-honors-columbus-social-justice-pioneers.

Pathway of Justice, Social Justice Park. Accessed August 2 2021. https://www.socialjusticepark.org/pathway-of-justice.

Reverend Dr. Washington Gladden, City of Columbus. Accessed August 2 2021. https://www.columbus.gov/Templates/Detail.aspx?id=2147506580.

Wiley, Chelsea. A Stunning Sculpture Inspired By Martin Luther King Jr. Is The Centerpiece Of The Washington Gladden Social Justice Park, Columbus Navigator. Accessed August 2 2021. https://www.columbusnavigator.com/washington-gladden-social-justice-park-sculpture/.