Francis Park - St. Louis, MO - Municipal Parks and Plazas on Waymarking.com

Location: Francis Park is bounded by Nottingham Avenue on the north, Tamm Avenue on the east, Eichelberger Street on the south and Donovan Avenue on the west.

Ordinance Date: 1916
Size: 60.30 Acres
Gift - Deed from David R. Francis
Circumference of Francis Park: 1.25 miles

Francis Park is the heart of the St. Louis Hills neighborhood. While it serves as a spot for tennis and handball for some, it also is a wonderful place to have a picnic, listen to a band concert, take the children to the playground or watch a soccer or softball game. Every day hundreds of walkers and runners, bikers and bladers and dogs and their owners crowd the sidewalks that surround the park. Its beautiful lily pond has been the host of countless weddings, parties and even memorial services. And its many benches provide a quiet place to get away from the city.

The St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association sponsors three special events in Francis Park each year. Run For The Hills, which is held in the fall, the Easter Egg Hunt, usually held the weekend before Easter and the Christmas Tree Lighting on the Sunday after Tanksgiving. Residents always get together for a general park clean-up the first Saturday in May.

History of Francis Park:
David Rowland Francis became owner of a large tract of land in southwest St. Louis in 1884 where he established his vast farm. In 1885 he was elected Mayor of St. Louis and was Governor of Missouri from 1889 to 1893.

David Francis was President of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition from 1889 until its opening in 1904. Francis originally considered use of his farmland as a site for the World's Fair, but logistics of transportation and construction to Francis' land caused the use of Forest Park as the now famous 1904 World's Fair site.

Francis was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Russia in 1916. Francis made a gift of 60 acres of his land to the city as a Christmas gift in 1916, and so it was named Francis Park. However, the area, known as the Francis Farm, remained unimproved except for a few dairy farms. Unofficially, it became a rural rendezvous for picnickers, hunters and other adventurous spirits. David Rowland Francis died January 15, 1927.

The park and the its rural land, it was not developed until St. Louis Hills was built up around it in the 1930s. Much of the early work in the park was done with the aid of Federal Relief Administration Funds. They constructed the long lily pool, athletic fields, tennis courts, shelter house, picnic grounds and walkways, as well as gardening and landscaping.

~from City of St. Louis Parks website

Name: Francis Park Street Location: bounded by Nottingham Avenue, Tamm Avenue, Eichelberger Street, and Donovan Avenue Local Municipality: St. Louis State/Province, etc.: MO Country: USA Web Site: [Web Link] Memorial/Commemoration: David R. Francis Date Established: 1916 Recreational Facilities: Roller Hockey Rink 2 Handball Courts Lily Pond Fountain Playground 2 Racquetball Courts Soccer Field 2 Softball Fields 8 Tennis Courts 2 Comfort Stations Ballfield reservations: 314-289-5389 Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): mosaic mermaid in lily pool Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: lily pool Picnic Facilities: Not listed Monuments/Statues: Not listed Fountains: Not listed Special Events: Not listed Traditional Geocaches: Not listed

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