Franklin Square to have Naming Ceremony for McTygue Family

The park at Franklin Square will have a new name this Saturday Sept. 20 as a naming ceremony for the McTygue family. 

The name of the small park was first approved in December 2024, at a Saratoga Springs City Council meeting. The park honors four members of the family who served in various capacities throughout the Spa City’s 110-year history.

 The bill to name the small park after the family passed unanimously. 

The McTygue family’s impact on the city began almost from the point of incorporation in 1915. It started with Michael E. McTygue who served as a city court judge from 1918-1924 and continued with a series of McTygues serving as Commissioner of Public Works. 

Charles McTygue served as the Commissioner of Public Works from 1947-1965, Thomas McTygue served as Commissioner of Public Works from 1972-1978 and 1982-2008 and William McTygue served as Deputy Commissioner of Public Works and Director from 1999-2010. 

“Among their notable achievements are: restoration of the historic Canfield Casino and Congress Park; acquisition and preservation of the historic Congress Park Carousel; and the creation of the Franklin Square neighborhood park,” the legislation creating the park said.  

The park is a historic part of the city, Victorian and Greek Revival Style buildings all around. It is where the former rail station stood and was an important part of the Saratoga Springs social scene, Saratoga Today previously reported. 

The park which will now bear the McTygue name was a project of Thomas McTygue. McTygue worked with developer and lawyer Robert Israel to create the park after Israel renovated several buildings in the area. Robert Israel’s family and the Bonacio family donated the money to fund a park plaque honoring the McTygue’s. 

The ceremony to rename the park is open to the public and will start at 11:30.