Stewart Park (Ithaca, New York)

Last updated
Stewart Park
Willows after the rain.jpg
Willow trees line the Cayuga Lake shoreline in Stewart Park
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Stewart Park within New York State
Type Urban park
Location Ithaca, New York
Coordinates 42°27′40″N76°30′13″W / 42.46111°N 76.50361°W / 42.46111; -76.50361
Created1921 (1921)
Operated byCity of Ithaca
OpenAll year
Website www.cityofithaca.org/516/Stewart-Park
Footbridge Stewart Park bridge, Ithaca, NY.jpg
Footbridge
Cacadilla Boathouse c. 1895 Historic Cascadilla Boathouse in Stewart Park circa 1895.jpg
Cacadilla Boathouse c.1895
Picnic Pavilion (built in 1895, restored in 2019) Picnic Pavillion.jpg
Picnic Pavilion (built in 1895, restored in 2019)
A garden of pollinator plants grows near the accessible playground in Stewart Park. The Tolley, Steamship, and film studio structures on the preschool section reference park history. Stewart Park Accessible Playground.jpg
A garden of pollinator plants grows near the accessible playground in Stewart Park. The Tolley, Steamship, and film studio structures on the preschool section reference park history.

Stewart Park is a municipal park operated by the City of Ithaca, New York [1] on the southern end of Cayuga Lake, the largest of New York's Finger Lakes.

Contents

Park description

Stewart park offers space and facilities for outdoor recreation such as frisbee, tennis, basketball, paddling, and fishing. The park has a carousel that operates throughout the summer. There is an expansive, accessible playground that includes features to make it easier for children with wheelchairs or mobility aids to play, along with a splash pad fountain that runs in summer. Picnic tables and grills are spread throughout the park, and sheltered areas for picnics and large gatherings are available for rental. The wide, flat ADA compliant Cayuga Waterfront Trail runs through the park.

Fall Creek empties into Cayuga Lake through Stewart Park. Stewart Park is also the location of the Cascadilla Boat Club's boathouse, commonly called the Cascadilla Boathouse. The Fuertes Bird Sanctuary and Renwick Wildwood are popular locations for birdwatching within Stewart Park. Newman Golf Course, the City of Ithaca's municipal golf course, is technically part of Stewart Park's 177 acres (72 ha). [2]

History

Before the North American continent had been settled by Europeans, the indigenous peoples of the Cayuga Nation founded the village of Neodakheat in the area where Stewart Park is now located. [3] The land became Military Lot 88, 600-acre (240 ha), a tract of land granted to Andrew Moody after the end of the Revolutionary War. Moody sold the land to James Renwick on December 12, 1790. It remained in his family for 104 years as an undeveloped parcel of land. [4]

In the early 1890s, 40 acres (16 ha) of Renwick land was purchased by the Cascadilla School to build athletic facilities. At the same time, a trolley line leading to Cayuga Lake was constructed by the Cayuga Lake Electric Railway Company, later absorbed by Ithaca Street Railway, who also set about developing an amusement park near the lake. The group of properties became known as Renwick Park and opened to the public in 1894. [5]

Upon opening, the trolley park contained a zoo, a merry-go-round, a restaurant pavilion, and a dance pavilion, which became Ithaca's first vaudeville theater. However, in 1908, a decrease in the public's use of the railway system led to the dissolution of the Cayuga Lake Electric Railway Company; the company was replaced by the Renwick Park and Traffic Association. Trolley access to the park was completely discontinued in 1915, and the park closed.

Fifty-five acres (22 ha) adjacent to the park were set aside as a bird sanctuary maintained by the Cayuga Bird Club, now known as Renwick Wildwood. Another birding location around the “swan pond” near the Cascadilla Boathouse is known as the Fuertes Bird Sanctuary. It was named after famous ornithologist and Cayuga Bird Club president Louis Agassiz Fuertes upon his death in 1927. [6]

The park land was leased to Theodore and Leopold Wharton, forming the Wharton Studio during Ithaca's brief heyday as a silent film production center from 1915 to 1919. [7]

In 1920, Mayor Edwin C. Stewart declared during his inauguration speech that it was a "travesty" that Ithaca residents couldn't enjoy the lake without trespassing on private property. In 1921, the City of Ithaca purchased the former Renwick Park land and opened it to the public. Mayor Stewart died before the official opening of the park on July 4, 1921, leaving the city 150,000 to the city for the park. Renwick Park was renamed Stewart Park in his honor.

In 1934, the park's land was raised by several feet to reduce flooding. Although swimming had previously been allowed at the park since 1964, a prohibition against swimming has been strongly enforced. The ban came about after a boy drowned when turbid, sediment-laden water prevented lifeguards from seeing him. Conditions particular to the lake, including the quantity of sediment at the lake's bottom and the prevailing currents at the lake's southern end, cause such murky and turbid conditions to be common, necessitating the ban on swimming. [8]

21st Century

A section of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail was completed in 2010, linking the Farmers Market at Steamboat Landing to the Visitors Center. This portion of the trail winds through Stewart Park. [9] In 2011, the Friends of Stewart Park began a wide-ranging rehabilitation and restoration project. [10] A new Inclusive and Accessible Playground was opened summer of 2020. A series of severe thunderstorms during the summer of 2021 caused "devastating" damage to Stewart Park and Newman Golf Course. [11] At least a dozen trees were downed, including some of the park's willow trees. [12] The Cayuga Waterfront Trail, playground, tennis court, sprinklers were damaged and were briefly closed for cleanup. [12] [11]

Historic buildings and landmarks of Stewart Park

The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. [13]

Cacadilla Boathouse Cascadilla Boathouse 01.jpg
Cacadilla Boathouse
Picnic Pavilion Stewart Park Picnic Pavilion.jpg
Picnic Pavilion
Carousel Stewart Park Carousel.jpg
Carousel
Dance Pavilion / Wharton Building Stewart Park Dance Pavilion.jpg
Dance Pavilion / Wharton Building
  • Wharton Building - Designed by Clinton L. Vivian and Arthur Gibb in 1895, this structure was originally called the Dance Pavilion. Along with hosting dances, the building was also used as a vaudeville stage and a movie theater. When the Wharton Brothers leased the park for their film Studio, this building was used to film movies and serials. Tracks to hang lights and sets can still be found in the building. Today, the building is used primarily as the home of the Ithaca Department of Works but plans to renovate the lake-facing side of the structure into the Wharton Studio Museum and Park Center are underway.
  • Water Tower - Though no longer in Stewart Park, the water tower was part of the original pavilion complex designed by Clinton L. Vivian and Arthur Gibb in 1895. Standing high above the other buildings, for trolley riders, it would have been their first glimpse of the park as they rode in. The structure was destroyed by Hurricane Hazel in 1954. [16]
  • Bandstand - No longer in the park, the bandstand was an octagonal raised gazebo structure near the pavilions that hosted nationally known bands like Patrick (Patsy) Conway and his "Famous Ithaca Band."

Revitalization

In 2011, the Friends of Stewart Park began wide-ranging rehabilitation and restoration for Stewart Park. [10] This effort began with the renovation of the Mayor Stewart Memorial Flagpole garden and clean up of the Picnic Pavilion and Wharton Building [17] Since that time, Friends of Stewart Park in partnership with the City of Ithaca, have led a major revitalization effort including reconstruction of the small Tea Pavilion, restoration of the Picnic Pavilion, carousel, Fuertes swan pond overlook, roof replacements on the Wharton Building and Cascadilla Boathouse, and many smaller improvements throughout the park. Aside from restoring the past, Friends of Stewart Park is enhancing the park for the future. In 2020 the organization completed a new accessible playground. In 2021, a year-round restroom was completed. [18] Further planned improvements include a new splash pad, added restrooms, and the creation of the Wharton Studio Museum and Park Visitor Center with a cafe.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ithaca, New York</span> City in New York, United States

Ithaca is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named after the Greek island of Ithaca. As of 2020, the city's population was 32,108.

Cayuga Heights is village in Tompkins County, New York, United States, and an upscale suburb of Ithaca, New York. The population was 4,114 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Point State Park – Finger Lakes</span> State park in Cayuga County, New York

Long Point State Park is a 297-acre (1.20 km2) state park located on the east shore of Cayuga Lake. The park is in the Town of Ledyard in Cayuga County, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buttermilk Falls State Park</span> State park in New York state, United States

Buttermilk Falls State Park is a 811-acre (3.28 km2) state park located southwest of Ithaca, New York, United States. Like Robert H. Treman State Park, a portion of the land that was to become the state park came from Robert and Laura Treman in 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cayuga Lake State Park</span> State park in Seneca County, New York

Cayuga Lake State Park is a 141-acre (0.57 km2) state park located on the north end of Cayuga Lake, east of the village of Seneca Falls in Seneca County, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Au Roche State Park</span> State park in Clinton County, New York

Point Au Roche State Park is an 856-acre (3.46 km2) state park in Clinton County, New York. The park is in the eastern part of the Town of Beekmantown, on the shore of Lake Champlain.

This is a list of trails in Ithaca, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wharton Studio</span> Film production company

Wharton, Inc. was an early silent film production company in Ithaca, New York, from 1914 to 1919. One of the first independent regional centers of early filmmaking, the movie studio was established by brothers Theodore and Leopold Wharton on the shores of Cayuga Lake at the site of what is now Stewart Park. Currently, efforts are underway to create a silent movie museum in the former Wharton movie studio building in Stewart Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicot State Park</span> State park in Louisiana, United States

Chicot State Park is located near Ville Platte, Louisiana. This wildlife reserve of South Central Louisiana features 6,400 acres (26 km2) of rolling hills surrounding a 2,000-acre (8 km2) man-made lake stocked with bass, crappie (sac-au-lait), bluegill, and red-ear sunfish. Chicot Park offers fishing boat rentals, pavilions, barbecue pits, picnic areas, restrooms, primitive hike-to campsites, lodges, and furnished cabins. The park is home to a number of wild animal species, including whitetail deer, raccoons, coyotes, and bobcats.

In the U.S. state of Georgia, the Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is the unit of Cobb county government which handles county parks, recreation facilities, and cultural affairs programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildwood Amusement Park</span>

Wildwood Amusement Park was an amusement park and picnic ground that existed from 1889 to 1932 on the southeast shore of White Bear Lake in Mahtomedi, Minnesota, United States. The park was built and operated by the Minneapolis and St. Paul Suburban Railroad Company, a subdivision of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company, which ran a streetcar line from Mahtomedi to nearby St. Paul. It was the sister park of Big Island Amusement Park on Lake Minnetonka, as both were intended to draw crowds of people to opposite ends of the Minneapolis-St. Paul streetcar system on weekends. Wildwood Amusement Park proved to be more successful than Big Island Amusement Park, which closed in 1911, and lasted until 1932 when financial losses brought about its demise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonel Samuel Smith Park</span>

Colonel Samuel Smith Park is an urban park in the Etobicoke district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and a former weekend get-away destination for Victorian Torontonians. The park has a variety of attractions, including a children's playground located only steps from Lake Ontario. The park is named for Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Smith and lands were part of his property in the 1800s. The park was developed from the 1970s onwards and opened in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascadilla School Boathouse</span> United States historic place

Cascadilla School Boathouse is a historic boathouse located in Stewart Park, a municipal park operated by the City of Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York. The shingle style boathouse was built by the Cascadilla School from 1894 to 1896 as a structure to store boats and lies on the south end of Cayuga Lake. Crew rowing was extremely popular in the late 1800s, with the first World Rowing Federation annual international event taking place in 1893. The boathouse has been in continuous use for rowing storage, training, lessons, and meetings by the Cascadilla Boat Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonham State Park</span> Protected area in Texas, US

Bonham State Park is a 261-acre (1.06 km2) state park located in Bonham, Texas. It includes a 65-acre (260,000 m2) lake, rolling prairies, and woodlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ithaca (town), New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Ithaca is a town in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The town's population was 22,283 at the 2020 census. The town is in the central part of the county, in the Finger Lakes–Southern Tier region of New York, and is part of the Ithaca Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Town of Ithaca is a horseshoe-shaped portion of the metropolitan area of Ithaca, New York, surrounding the City of Ithaca and being the city's only border. Ithaca College is located in the South Hill section of the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monument Valley Park</span> United States historic place in Colorado

Monument Valley Park is a historic, recreational park in Colorado Springs, Colorado through which Monument Creek flows. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing and is on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheaton Regional Park</span> Regional park in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States

Wheaton Regional Park is a public park and county-designated protected area, located in Wheaton, Maryland. It is operated and managed by Montgomery County Parks, a division of a bi-county agency, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M–NCPPC), which serves both Montgomery and Prince George's counties in the Washington, D.C. suburbs of the state of Maryland. The park was established in 1960, incorporating several large parcels of land into one of the county's largest parks, at the size of 538.7 acres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cayuga Inlet</span> River in Tompkins County, New York, US

Cayuga Inlet is a river located in Tompkins County, New York. It flows into the south end of Cayuga Lake by Ithaca, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Gardens (amusement park)</span> Amusement park in Butte, Montana, US

The Columbia Gardens (1899–1973) was an amusement park in Butte, Montana, established by copper king William A. Clark and later owned and maintained by Anaconda Copper. During its 74 years of operation, it was the only major amusement park in the entire state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lighthouse Point Park</span>

Lighthouse Point Park is a park in the city of New Haven, Connecticut that is operated as a New Haven city park. The 82-acre park is located at the eastern point of New Haven Harbor in the East Shore neighborhood, and affords a view of Downtown New Haven.

References

  1. "Stewart Park". City of Ithaca. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  2. "Newman Municipal Golf Course | Ithaca, NY - Official Website". www.cityofithaca.org. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  3. McNeill, Phyllis. "Town of Ithaca" (PDF). Tompkins County Gov.
  4. Kammen, Carol (August 29, 2014). "Pieces of the Past: Stewart Park evolves to give joy". The Ithaca Journal. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  5. "Renwick Park, Ithaca, N.Y." Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  6. "The Renwick Wildwood: 1916-1917 (Part Four of a Series) - Cayuga Bird Club". www.cayugabirdclub.org. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  7. "Wharton Studio News 1914-1919 -". whartonstudiomuseum.org. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  8. Hairston, Nelson (December 5, 2009). "How Park's Swimming Days Ended" (PDF). The Ithaca Journal. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  9. "Cass Park Trail & Stewart Park to Farmers Market". Cayuga Waterfront Trail. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Ithaca Journal, "Wide-Ranging Makeover Pitched for Stewart Park", May 17 2011
  11. 1 2 Butler, Matt (30 June 2021). "Stewart Park will remain closed after further damage from recent storms". The Ithaca Voice. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  12. 1 2 Rosenberg, Madeline (22 June 2021). "UPDATE: Following summer storm, city closes Stewart Park, golf course". The Ithaca Voice. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021. The storm that swept through Tompkins County Monday collapsed at least 12 trees at Stewart Park
  13. "WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 4/28/2023 THROUGH 5/5/2023". National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  14. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (3/2/1934 - ) (2013–2017). New York SP Cascadilla School Boathouse. File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York, 1964 - 2013.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. 1 2 "Pavilion Rental". Friends of Stewart Park. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  16. "The hurricane that flooded Ithaca". 18 September 2017.
  17. Ithaca Journal, "Event to Mark Work at Stewart Park", Nov 1 2011
  18. Holz, Desiree (2021-06-17). "Friends of Stewart Park and others cut the ribbon on new all-season, accessible bathrooms". The Ithaca Voice. Retrieved 2023-03-22.