Historic Fourth Ward Park facts for kids
Historic Fourth Ward Park is a cool green space in Atlanta, Georgia. It's built where an old amusement park used to be, in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. You can find it just south of Ponce City Market and next to the BeltLine trail.
The park currently covers about 17 acres (7 hectares) in two separate parts. There are plans to connect these parts and make the park even bigger, covering a total of 30 acres (12 hectares).
Park History
For a long time, the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood in Atlanta had a big problem with flooding. Water from nearby Clear Creek would often overflow. In the late 1980s, the city thought about building a huge underground tunnel to deal with the extra stormwater. This tunnel would have cost a lot of money.
But an engineer and environmental expert named Bill Eisenhauer had a different idea. He believed that using "green infrastructure" would be better. This means using natural solutions, like plants and ponds, to solve environmental problems. Eisenhauer suggested building Historic Fourth Ward Park. This park would have a large pond to collect and hold stormwater. His plan was much cheaper, costing only $23 million.
Local architect Markham Smith heard about Eisenhauer's idea. Smith helped bring together different groups, like the Trust for Public Land and the Atlanta BeltLine. These groups bought the old industrial land where the park is now.
The first 17 acres of the park were finished in 2008. The special stormwater pond is built deep into the ground. It can hold up to 4 million gallons of water! This helps the park handle very heavy rains and prevent big floods.
Besides the pond, the park has nice walkways, bridges, and places to sit and look around. There are also grassy fields, a shady playground, and a splashpad for kids to cool off. Turning this old industrial area into a park has added a lot of green space to the Old Fourth Ward. This helps reduce flooding and makes the area cooler, fighting the "urban heat island effect" where cities get hotter than surrounding areas. The plants in the park also help water soak into the ground and evaporate, which reduces extra water every day.
The Atlanta BeltLine, a big partner in the park, has faced some comments. Some people say that the park and other green projects have led to new, expensive homes and shops nearby. This has changed the neighborhood a lot.
Pond and Amphitheater
The park has a lovely pond with a path all around it. There's a fountain in the pond that helps keep the water fresh and moving. Part of the pond is surrounded by a grassy amphitheater. This is a sloped area like a natural outdoor theater, perfect for relaxing or watching events.
Skate Park
The park also has a cool skate park! It's located at 830 Willoughby Way, Atlanta, Georgia 30312. This skate park is 15,000 square feet (about 1,400 square meters) and has bowls, curbs, and smooth concrete ramps. It was Atlanta's first public skate park. It opened in June 2011, and the famous skater Tony Hawk was even there! Tony Hawk's foundation gave $25,000 to help build the park. He said he was impressed by the vision of the BeltLine officials and local skate shop owner Thomas Taylor, who pushed for the park.
Park Sections
The park was built in different stages:
- Phase I: This first part opened in February 2011. It covers 5 acres (2 hectares) and includes waterfalls and the main stormwater pond.
- Phase II: This phase made the park a total of 12 acres (5 hectares). It added more areas to the north and south:
- The section between Rankin Street and Ralph McGill Boulevard opened in June 2011. It has a playground, a splash pad for children, a small urban forest, restrooms, and a wildflower meadow.
- The section from North Avenue down to Morgan Street is across from Ponce City Market. It includes a grand entrance and an event lawn. Part of this area opened in January 2012.
- A separate 5-acre (2-hectare) section of the park also opened in June 2011. This part is next to the BeltLine and Freedom Parkway. It has a sports field, the skate park mentioned above, a playground, and restrooms. You can get to it by car from Willoughby Way or by walking from the BeltLine.
Future Plans
In January 2013, the BeltLine announced they bought a small piece of land. This land will help connect the BeltLine trail directly to the park.
There are plans for a Phase III which would connect Phase II with the separate skate park area. This would add another 13 acres (5 hectares) to the park, making it even bigger for everyone to enjoy!
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