Stewart Park
| Stewart Park | |
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Stewart Park on Cayuga Lake in July 2014.
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location |
City of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York |
| Coordinates | 42°27′40″N 76°30′13″W / 42.46111°N 76.50361°WCoordinates: 42°27′40″N 76°30′13″W / 42.46111°N 76.50361°W |
| Created | 1921 |
| Operated by | City of Ithaca |
| Open | All year |
| Website | www |
Stewart Park is a municipal park operated by the city of Ithaca, New York on the southern end of Cayuga Lake, the largest of New York's Finger Lakes.
The park offers space and facilities for outdoor recreation such as frisbee, tennis, baseball, softball, and fishing. The park has a carousel that operates throughout the summer. In addition, there is a playground with slides and a fountain, along with sheltered areas for picnics and large gatherings. The park is also equipped with grills dispersed around the grounds for barbecuing.
Fall Creek empties into Cayuga Lake through Stewart Park. Stewart Park is also the location of the Cascadilla Boat Club's boathouse. The Fuertes Bird Sanctuary sits at the southern end of the park, and it is bordered on the west by the City of Ithaca's municipal golf course.
Stewart Park was originally part of Military Lot 88, a 600-acre (2.4 km2) 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.
In the early 1890s, 40 acres (0.16 km2) 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, 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.
Upon opening, the park contained a zoo, a merry-go-round and a renovated dance pavilion for use as 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. While this occurred, 55 acres (0.22 km2) adjacent to the park were set aside as a bird sanctuary, maintained by the Cayuga Bird Club. Now known as the Fuertes Bird Sanctuary, it was named after a former club president upon his death in 1927.
The park officially closed in 1915, after which the land was leased to The Whartons film studio during Ithaca's brief heyday as a silent film production center from 1915 to 1919.
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, and it was renamed in his honor.
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Wikipedia