Lafayette Park |
Lafayette Park was set aside from the St. Louis Common in 1836 and dedicated in 1851 as one of the first public parks, and by far the largest of its era, in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. It is considered by many historians to be the oldest urban park west of the Mississippi. Established by city ordinance in 1851, Lafayette Park is the oldest developed urban park west of the Mississippi River. It first served as a parade ground during the Civil War. Extensively landscaped after the war by the renowned landscape architect, Maximillian Kern, who was its first superintendent, the park truly came into its own during the Victorian "Gilded Age" of the late 1800s. As many as 10,000 city residents would visit the park on a typical Sunday to enjoy concert bands, cross the lake in a swan boat, stroll among the beautifully maintained floral displays, or admire the fine townhouses and mansions surrounding the park.
