Onondaga Park

Onondaga Park is an approximately 86-acre city park southwest of downtown Syracuse, opened to the public in July 1898 on a site that began as a reservoir. A steep hillside along Onondaga Avenue splits it into the commonly named upper and lower sections, though the park was treated as a single facility. Its original design followed the naturalistic pleasure ground ideal, with curving drives, rustic stone structures, plantings and planned views. Later changes added recreation features typical of early twentieth century reform parks, including Lake Hiawatha, formed in 1911 from the old reservoir, plus playgrounds, a bathhouse and sports areas. The park contains 47 contributing features, among them buildings, structures, sites and objects such as stone bridges, a pergola and a grotto. It was recognized for retaining two distinct modes of park design and for showing how Syracuse planned large parks on its outskirts to serve a growing population. It remains part of the city's only linked open space system.