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Master Planning Case Study: Leon Day Park
Baltimore, Maryland
 Location of Leon Day Park within the Larger
Plan for the development of the Gwynns Falls
Trail in Baltimore, Maryland.
Leon Day Park: Case
Description
Leon Day
Park, a large meadow located along the Gwynns Falls Trail in Baltimore, was a
centerpiece
of Olmsted's vision for the city. Underused since hit by a hurricane in
1972,
revitalization of the park was initiated in 1995 as part of a larger plan for
the Gwynns
Falls Trail, by two non-profit groups, the Trust for Public Land and the Parks
&
People Foundation. The park revitalization project was part of a process to
broaden the
constituency for the Gwynns Falls Trail by developing a "punctuation
point" of
active athletic and playground facilities along the trail. The effort was
intended to
reach a low income and working class African-American community adjacent to the
trail by
addressing their concerns about the lack of facilities for area youth. A
community design
charrette, facilitated by volunteer architects and landscape designers, was held
with
neighborhood residents and city representatives to develop a master plan for the
park. A
local engineering firm was hired to develop the final site plan following the
community's site improvement recommendations. Construction funds were
donated by
Parks & People, the Trust for Public Land, and by the Baltimore Orioles for
a state of
the art baseball field ($200,000). The city promised funds ($150,000) and
developed a
timeline, budget and construction schedule. Currently under construction, the
park is
scheduled to be completed by March 1, 1999. The baseball field will be ready for
play in
the Spring 2000. A special committee of the citywide Gwynns Falls Trail Council
will
handle publicity and fund raising for the park.
Plan for Leon Day Park. The plan includes baseball
diamonds, a
football field,new
basketball courts,
a bike path, a playground, picnic areas, and a concession stand.
Leon Day Park: Step by Step Master Planning
Process
- Since Hurricane Agnes destroyed Bloomington Ovals facilities in 1972,
Bloomington Oval,
a large meadow located along the Gwynns Falls Trail, has remained weedy and
underused
although it was once a centerpiece of Olmsted's vision for parkland in
Baltimore.
- Involved in the area since 1995, the project was initiated by the Trust for
Public Land
and Parks & People in conjunction with the local neighborhood group.
Revitalization of
the park was part of an overall effort by the Trust for Public Land and Parks
& People
to complete a "signature project" in each of the three parts of the
planned
Gwynns Fall Trail.
- TPL and Parks & People received $55,000 dollars as the result of a
settlement with
Reebok. TPL and Parks & People did outreach and community organizing to get
people
interested in participating in a design charrette. According to Chris Ryer,
former
director of the Baltimore TPL, the project drew the interest of the
predominantly working
class, African-American residential neighborhood, because of the focus on
athletic
facilities for a variety of ages and the opportunities for mentoring by adult
males,
coaching, and athletic leagues.
- In March of 1997, a community design charrette was held with neighborhood
residents
facilitated by volunteer architects and landscape designers from the
Neighborhood Design
Center and sponsored by the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks,
the
Department of Planning, the Trust for Public Land, the Parks and People
Foundation, and
support from the local Abell Foundation. The charrette involved a neighborhood
planning
process to help develop a master plan for the oval. Seventy-five local residents
generated
five different plans, all containing common elements of playing fields for local
youth,
new basketball courts, a bike path, a playground, picnic areas, and a concession
stand.
The engineering firm of Daft McCune Walker was contracted by the Department of
Recreation
and Parks to develop the master plan for the site incorporating site improvement
recommendations made by the community. The lead designer at the firm had
participated as a
volunteer in the Neighborhood Design Center charrette and was very familiar with
the
charrette plans and neighborhood desires.
- The Trust for Public Land and the Parks and People Foundation donated
$100,000 towards
the project. The Trust for Public Land sought funding from the Baltimore
Orioles, who
promised $100,000 for a lighted baseball facility. The city also promised funds
($150,000)
and developed a timeline, budget and construction schedule for completing the
planned
renovations.
- On August 23, 1997 residents from Baltimore's Franklintown and Rosemont
neighborhoods gathered in Bloomington Oval to celebrate the passage of a bill
changing the
park's name to Leon Day Park, in honor of a Negro Leagues baseball Hall of
Famer who
lived in the area after he retired.
- The Department of Public Works is in charge of the construction management
of the
project. The project is currently under construction. Leon Day Park is scheduled
to be up
and running by March 1, 1999 although the baseball fields will need a year
before regular
playing on them can begin.
Plans
courtesy
of Baltimore Trust For Public Land.
Return to The Process of Master Planning page.
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