Marcus Garvey Park (formerly and also named Mount Morris Park) is a park on the border between the Harlem and East Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. The park, centered on a massive and steep outcropping of schist, interrupts the flow of Fifth Avenue traffic, which is routed around the park via Mount Morris Park West. The park is also bounded by 120th Street to the south, 124th Street to the north, and Madison Avenue to the east. The park was created in 1840 and was originally named for Robert Morris, then the mayor of New York City. It was renamed after black activist and businessman Marcus Garvey in 1973. Marcus Garvey Park contains flat lawns and playing fields surrounding the schist outcropping, as well as the Harlem Fire Watchtower, a New York City designated landmark. It is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Etymology Early Dutch settlers called the hill Slang Berg, or Snake Hill. This name was commonly used before the park was created. When the park was opened to the public in 1840, the park was named after the newly elected Mayor of New York City, Robert Morris, although the origin of this name is not certain. In 1970, the Community Thing and other activist groups suggested naming the park for Marcus Garvey, a publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, activist for black nationalism, and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL). They also asked that a portion of the newly built recreation center contain a Garvey Museum. That August, the African Nationalist Activist Movement called for a Marcus Garvey Day celebration, and The New York Times noted that the park was already being "called Garvey Memorial Park by some persons." More than 1,000 reportedly attended the celebration in the park. City Council voted to officially rename the park to Marcus Garvey Memorial Park in 1973, during the same vote in which Welfare Island was renamed Roosevelt Island. The portion of Fifth Avenue in Harlem was also proposed to be renamed Marcus Garvey Boulevard by advocates and the two surrounding Community Boards in 1988, but this effort ultimately failed amid complaints from residents who feared that the street would lose its reputation and lead to confusion. History Site Before the European settlements, the rocky hill of Manhattan mica-schist was used by the Native Americans as a lookout