Restore Fitzgerald Square to Alexandria’s Waterfront

The City of Alexandria approved their Waterfront Plan in 2012, which included a naming a new park after Colonel John Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald helped establish Saint Mary’s Parish, served in the Revolutionary War, and was Mayor of Alexandria.

The groundbreaking was set for Saint Patrick’s Day of this year, which seemed appropriate due to his Irish heritage. Shortly before the groundbreaking, without notice or explanation, Fitzgerald’s name was stripped from the plan and it was referred to as King Street Park at the Waterfront.

Since then, our Ancient Order of Hibernians have been working with parishioners and other members of the community to get Fitzgerald’s name back onto this park.

The Alexandria City Council Naming Committee will have a meeting on Thursday, September 27 at 5:00 pm to discuss this issue. The meeting will be held in the Council Work Room on the second floor of Alexandria City Hall. Anyone interested in supporting restoring Fitzgerald’s name to the park is encouraged to attend.

The AOH also has a petition with over 1,400 signatures supporting this cause. You can add your name here. You can also your support by voting in the Poll of the Week from the Alexandria Times. Over 75% of participants support putting Fitzgerald’s name back on the park.

An informational handout produced by the AOH is available for download here: Fitzgerald handout