Landscape Information
Completed in 1892, Boone Square Park is one of the first public parks Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. designed in Louisville. Located in the Portland neighborhood, at 4 acres (one city block) it is one of the smaller Olmsted parks in the city. The original owners of the property, Mr. and Mrs. William Boone, resided in a Georgian mansion on the site in the 1850s. The mansion deteriorated following the Civil War, and the property was deeded to the city by Eliza Boone in 1891.
Designed as a neighborhood park with flexible space for recreation, the park originally had picnic areas and wide shaded walks, still largely in place today. By the 1930s it was a popular attraction, with a wading pool, volleyball, and organized handicrafts. After a period of decline from the 1940s to the 1970s, the park was updated to include two basketball courts, a baseball diamond (no longer extant), two playgrounds (for older children and toddlers), a spray fountain, an open field for games, and a picnic shelter. Today, the park possesses many mature trees and is surrounded by a low stone wall, with entrances at all four corners and along each side. Boone Square Park is identified as the location of Louisville's first organized baseball game.
