Onondaga Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Onondaga Park
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Postcard from 1910 showing Hiawatha Lake in Upper Onondaga Park.
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Syracuse, New York |
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| Built | 1898 |
| Architect | George Kessler, Thurber J.Gillette |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | Historic Designed Landscapes of Syracuse MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001657 |
| Added to NRHP | December 31, 2002 |
Onondaga Park is a large park in Syracuse, New York. It covers about 82.6 acres, which is like 60 football fields! Inside the park, you'll find a beautiful man-made lake called Hiawatha Lake. The park is located in the Strathmore neighborhood on the south side of Syracuse.
A famous park designer named George Kessler helped plan parts of Onondaga Park a long time ago. Because of its special design and history, Onondaga Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. This means it's an important place worth protecting.
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Exploring Onondaga Park's Sections
Onondaga Park is actually made up of two main parts. These are called Lower Onondaga Park and Upper Onondaga Park. These two sections are connected to another nearby park, Kirk Park. They link up through a special road called Onondaga Creek Boulevard. Together, these three parks and the boulevard form the only connected park system in Syracuse.
Lower Onondaga Park: Sports and Plants
Lower Onondaga Park is about 15.6 acres in size. This part of the park has a baseball field where you can play or watch games. It also has a greenhouse. This greenhouse grows many plants that are used to decorate other parks in Syracuse.
The design for this part of the park was created by George Kessler in 1907. It was finished in 1915. His design included lots of stonework and several small ponds. One pond was called Star Lake, and it had five fountain jets! A large, fancy greenhouse was added in 1917. Over the years, some things have changed. Star Lake was filled in during the 1970s. But you can still see parts of Kessler's original design.
Upper Onondaga Park: Lake Fun and Games
Upper Onondaga Park is much larger, covering about 67 acres. The main feature of this section is Hiawatha Lake. This part of the park is also great for sports and play. It has:
- Eight tennis courts
- Three basketball courts
- A playground for kids to enjoy
- A large swimming pool that is 50 meters long
This area used to be a reservoir that held water for Syracuse in the 1870s. A reservoir is like a big storage tank for water. The city bought the land in 1892 and opened it as a park in 1898.
Hiawatha Lake: From Reservoir to Recreation
In 1911, the old Wilkinson Reservoir was reshaped. It became a 17-acre man-made lake. Since then, it has been known as Hiawatha Lake.
Hiawatha Lake was originally used for swimming. However, swimming was stopped in the 1970s for safety reasons. A modern swimming pool was built nearby instead. In the winter, when the lake freezes over, it becomes a popular spot. Local kids often use it for playing pond hockey.
Even though you can't swim in the lake anymore, it's still a beautiful spot. It has a large gazebo, which is a small, open building. The lake and gazebo are often used as a pretty background for photos. Many people take pictures there for proms and weddings.
