Durant Park Arch - Lansing, Mi
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Rattrak
N 42° 44.460 W 084° 33.145
16T E 700339 N 4734959
Durant Park Arch can be found on the N.W. corner of Saginaw Street east and Washington Street downtown Lansing, Michigan.
Waymark Code: WM87K7
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 02/14/2010
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
Views: 7

Durant Park Arch
The arch has been restored several years back and is kept quite nice. The park is just several city blocks for the Michigan State Capitol Building. Near the center of the park stands a Michigan Historical Marker which reads;
(on the north side of the marker)

Durant Park
William C. Durant was one of Michigan’s most important industrialists and the founder of the General Motors Corporation. In 1919 Durant purchased this three-acre city block, once the estate of F. Mortimer Cowles, an Eaton Rapids carpenter who worked on the state capitol. Durant hired Kalamazoo landscaped contractor Charles Maxson to create an urban Park. (Maxson also landscaped the Durant Motor Company’s 500,000-square-foot facility on Verlinden Avenue in Lansing.) In 1921 Durant donated the property to the city of Lansing as a park for north side residents. The park included flowerbeds and trees, serpentine concrete pathways, and a circular fountain basin in the center of the park. A parade marked the dedication on June 23, 1921.

(on the south side of the marker)

Durant Park Arch
The city of Lansing erected the Durant Park Arch in 1924 in gratitude to automobile magnate William C. Durant, who donated this park to the city in 1921. That same year, he built a $3 million factory in Lansing, known as the “Ver Linden” Branch of Durant Motors, which produced the Durant and the Star models. When it opened, the plant had 3,000 employees and was credited with increasing the city’s population by 15,000 people. The Lansing-based Christman Company built the arch. The monument is built of brick masonry and Indiana limestone. The name “Durant Park” was lit from inside with electric bulbs so that it would be visible at night. This architectural monument is the only one of its kind in Lansing. It was restored in 2004.

This is the best information on this arch as I found.

Type: Triumphal (Monument/Memorial)

Subtype: Municipal/Regional Entrance

Location: Durant Park, a City of Lansing Park

Visit Instructions:
To help give a different perspective and to better this waymark listing for future visitors please tell us about your visit and upload a favorite photograph you took of the arch. Although visiting this waymark in person is the only thing required of you to receive credit for your visit, taking the time to add this information is greatly appreciated.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Freestanding Arches
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
just for the fun visited Durant Park Arch - Lansing, Mi 07/12/2015 just for the fun visited it
Team Rumble visited Durant Park Arch - Lansing, Mi 02/13/2010 Team Rumble visited it

View all visits/logs