MacRae Park

Last updated
MacRae Park
MacRae Park.jpg
MacRae Park
TypeUrban park
LocationDes Moines, Iowa
Coordinates 41°34′6.762″N93°37′31.782″W / 41.56854500°N 93.62549500°W / 41.56854500; -93.62549500
Area50.9 acres
Established1897
Owned byCity of Des Moines
Website https://www.dsm.city/business_detail_T6_R66.php

MacRae Park is an urban park located in Des Moines, Iowa. The park has 50.9 acres which includes playgrounds, a scenic overlook, and a pond. The park is in the Gray's Lake Neighbourhood and is owned and operated by the City of Des Moines. [1] [2] The park is named after Donald MacRae, a graduate of Drake University and a soldier in the 168th infantry who was the first Iowan casualty of World War I. [3] [4]

On October 2, 2019, the park added a scenic overlook that looks towards Des Moines which is 96 feet long and the tip of it hovers 40 feet above the hillside, with LED lights installed. [5] On June 28, 2023, new improvements to the park opened to the public after a $2.75 million project that lasted more than 7 years. The original plans for the project were approved on March 8, 2021. [6] This project added a bike friendly loop around the park, a boardwalk overlooking the pond, and a new playscape. [7] [8]

References

  1. "MacRae Park". City of Des Moines . Retrieved 2025-07-13.
  2. "MacRae Park". Friends of DM Parks. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
  3. "South Des Moines To Honor War Martyr In Memorial Day Program". The Des Moines Register . May 18, 1918. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  4. Frazier, Joseph (2010-01-25). The WPA Guide to 1930s Iowa. University of Iowa Press. p. 5. ISBN   978-1-58729-663-5.
  5. "EMC Overlook Provides Breathtaking View of Downtown Des Moines Skyline". WHO 13. October 2, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  6. "Des Moines City Council approves $2.7 million in MacRae Park improvements". KCCI . 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  7. "Historic MacRae Park Improvements Complete". City of Des Moines . Archived from the original on July 24, 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  8. "Improvements completed at historic MacRae Park in Des Moines". Business Record. 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2025-07-24.