Lake Park, a mile-long park on a bluff above

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, is an

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

covering .

Design

Lake Park was designed in the late 19th century by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

, who also designed

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

along with many others. Believing that access to nature had a civilizing and restorative effect on the urban public, Olmsted designed Lake Park in the Romantic tradition, with a preference for natural (over formal) landscaping, winding paths, a variety of vistas, incorporation of wildlife, and a balance between active recreation and more passive enjoyment. Milwaukee architect

Alfred Clas Alfred Clas (1859 - 1942) was an architect in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a partner in the firm Ferry & Clas with George Bowman Ferry and in 1913 Alfred C. Clas partnered with his son Reuben F. Clas and with John S. Shepherd, as junior partners, ...

designed the park's pavilion, dedicated in 1903, as well as the grand stairway, added in 1908, that led from the pavilion to the lakeshore promenade below.

Description

Covering on the shore of Lake Michigan, the park is part of a mostly contiguous stretch of lakefront amenities that extend north from Milwaukee's downtown, including

Bradford Beach Bradford Beach is a public beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The beach which was constructed in the 1920s is part of Lake Park; a mile (1.6 km)-long park on a bluff above Lake Michigan. Lake Park was listed on the National Register ...

, various parks, McKinley Marina, and the

Milwaukee Art Museum The Milwaukee Art Museum (also referred to as MAM) is an art museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its collection of over 34,000 works of art and gallery spaces totaling 150,000 sq. ft. (13,900 m²) make it the largest art museum in the state of Wis ...

. The park terrain includes both bluffs and

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. Ravines may also be called a cleuch, dell, ...

s. In addition, Lake Park is home to the last remaining

Indian mound Many pre-Columbian cultures in North America were collectively termed "Mound Builders", but the term has no formal meaning. It does not refer to specific people or archaeological culture but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks that in ...

in the city of Milwaukee. The others were destroyed by early settlers of the city and surrounding area. A portion of the

Oak Leaf Trail The Oak Leaf Trail (formerly 76 Bike Trail) is a paved multi-use recreational trail system which encircles Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Clearly marked trail segments connect all of the major parks in the Milwaukee County Park System. Histor ...

Lake Line runs through the park. It also contains North Point Lighthouse, which was built in 1855. A 6-hole golf course was built in 1903, expanding to 18 holes in 1930. Lake Park is the favorite park of John Hamann, a local celebrity known as the Milverine for his resemblance to

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

when walking shirtless.

History

In July 2016, Lake Park became a popular location for Poké-Stops in the game ''

Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game originally developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices. It uses mobile devic ...

''. In August 2016, the Milwaukee County Parks Department asked

Niantic Niantic may refer to: * Niantic people, tribe of American Indians * Niantic, Inc., mobile app developer known for the mobile games ''Ingress'' and ''Pokémon Go'' * Niantic Correctional Institution, now known as York Correctional Institution ...

to remove the game stops until a permit was received, in compliance with a county ordinance.

References

{{Milwaukee Protected areas of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Urban public parks Geography of Milwaukee Tourist attractions in Milwaukee National Register of Historic Places in Milwaukee Parks in Milwaukee Works Progress Administration in Wisconsin

Design

Description

History

See also

References