Neighborhood recreation parks--are they historically significant?

Abstract

Shelby Park in Louisville, Kentucky is used as a case study to explore the issues in designating neighborhood recreation parks as historic landmarks. By using rehabilitation as defined in the NPS's Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes, as a management strategy to guide design, neighborhood recreation parks can continue to adapt to changing recreational needs, community concerns and safety standards. The specific master plan and recommendations for the rehabilitation of Shelby Park were developed using historic research and community input. While designation protects the essential design characteristics of the park, community input informs the choice of recreational games and equipment. Finally, historic research of the Playground and Recreation Movements uncovered an important part of the legacy of the profession of landscape architecture thus far ignored.