Ivan Lebamoff Reservoir Park 2300 South Clinton, city block bounded by South Clinton on the west side, East Suttenfield on the south side, Lafayette Street on the east side, and Creighton Avenue on the north side. 13.1 acres. Since 1880 from City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation. In 2009 was renamed for former Mayor Lebamoff who helped find funding to rebuild it in the mid 1970s.
The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs, Publication date 1917 on Archive.org.
Page 560, Reservoir Park. Scene of the Great Fort Wayne Historical Pageant in June 1916. An ideal spot for the presentation of the historic pageant of Fort Wayne, entitled "The Glorious Gateway of the West.' was found in Reservoir park, where a cast of more than one thousand Fort Wayne citizens enacted six scenes depicting the thrilling, inspiring story of Fort Wayne. The temporary amphitheatre accommodated fourteen thousand persons. On the closing night of the pageant every child of Fort Wayne of school age was admitted free of charge. The event was considered the most artistic success in the history of pageantry in America.
In 1900 Ivan Lebamoff Reservoir Park began its life as a reservoir built to maintain a safe water supply. Early in the 1960s a new water filtration plant was built, and the old reservoir was demolished and integrated into the famous 50-foot hill, popular with winter sledders. In 2009 the park, at 2300 S. Clinton St., was renamed after the former Mayor Lebamoff, who helped find funding to rebuild it in the mid 1970s. Do you have a memory of this urban park?
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At the top of the hill was the cap to a 4.8 million-gallon water tank that was built in 1880 and supplied the city's first municipal water system. Water from deep rock wells was stored in the tank until it was needed. Copied from The story behind the hill in the park by Kevin Leininger August 29, 1981 inCityscapes - People & Places series of articles from the archives of
The News-Sentinel newspaper.
Fort Wayne celebrated Indiana’s 100th birthday in 1916. As part of the centennial event, which began the second week of that June, the largest temporary construction project in the city’s history was completed at Reservoir Park to host an ambitious historical pageant. Designed to hold 14,000 people, the seating for the historical pageant rose from the edge of the artificial lake to the top of the reservoir hill. A noted dramatist was brought in from Chicago to write the play, and lighting was rigged so that the performances could be presented at night. Over 1,000 local costumed citizens participated in the six-act play named “The Glorious Gateway of the West” on the pylon-flanked stage. Tickets to the pageant were fifty cents each. Some of the play’s highlights included a large replica set of the fort as a backdrop, an Indian village complete with wigwams, the actor playing Anthony Wayne arriving on stage uniformed astride a white horse, and the rousing finish with all the participants and audience jubilantly singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a giant American flag slowly rose over the stage. The play was performed six times during the two weeks of the celebration and was seen in total by an estimated 50,000 people. As well as the pageant, the stage was used on the first Sunday afternoon of the celebration by 600 choristers from local churches and singing societies performing to the packed amphitheater for a free-admission concert of religious and inspirational patriotic music. The city also celebrated with a visit and talk by former President William Howard Taft, a giant parade thorough the gaily festooned downtown, and an industrial and business exposition featuring 200 booths just north of downtown near the League Park baseball stadium (in today’s Headwaters Park) which included adjacent free rides and amusements.
Randy Harter is a Fort Wayne historian and author of two books on local history.
In the summer of 1916 Reservoir Park was the center of a city-wide celebration of the state’s 100th birthday and it was incredible. A massive stage was built over Res Park lake and bleachers for 14-thousands spectators were constructed up the slope of Res Park hill. 1100 Fort Wayne citizens volunteered as actors in an extravaganza titled ‘The Glorious Gateway of the West’. Read the rest in The Day Res Park was the Center of the World by Eric Olson, 21Country Featured ReporterFebruary 9, 2017 on 21AliveNews.com archived on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
HISTORY JOURNAL ▸ Jan. 1, 1962: Sledders set off from the top of the hill at Reservoir Park. At the bottom of the hill, young ice skaters can be seen on the frozen pond enjoying the last day before school resumed. Read more:
In these photos, Ft. Wayne residents enjoy the snow and ice skating at Reservoir Park. Allen County residents have long flocked to the park in winter months. A 1911 article in the Fort Wayne Sentinel notes skating season was officially opened on Dec. 28 that year. "The intense cold of last night froze the water in the lake just barely enough to allow juvenile skating and early this morning every home in the neighborhood of the park was supplying its quota to the crowd which grew in numbers as the day wore on." #waybackwendesday#snow#iceskating#winterwonderland#bundleup
These photos are courtesy of our Community Album. Check out more pictures from the collection here: http://contentdm.acpl.lib.in.us/
(1911, December 28) “Skating Season Formally Opened at Reservoir Park”. Fort Wayne Sentinel, p. 1.
