Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park (originally named League Island Park and locally known as the "Lakes") is a park located along the Delaware River in the southern most point of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising some which includes a golf course, about of buildings,managed landscapes, recreation areas and about of natural lands including ponds and lagoons.

Location

Bordered by the South Philadelphia Sports Complex on South Broad Street, Interstate highway-95/Philadelphia Naval Yard and Pattison Avenue/ Packer Park residential neighborhood. Many Philadelphians enjoy it as a green "Oasis" for a variety of recreational activities, while sport and entertainment event patrons attending games and events at the nearby stadium complex know it as an alternative place for offsite parking.

History

The park was built to the design of Olmsted Brothers, the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted and John Charles Olmsted in the early 1900s. The parkland was reclaimed mostly from marshlands of Greenwhich Island one of several islands in the area created by river channels present in the 1700 and 1800's. The use of the park for the Sesquicentennial Exposition in 1926 and subsequent improvements have moderately changed the original design, keeping the main character of the park west of Broad Street. The original plan of the Olmsted Brothers still remains highly visible and significant west of Broad Street. The official name was changed from League Island Park...
Read More