About Washington Park

Originally called West Park, Washington Park in Milwaukee, WI, was designed by Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot beginning in 1891-92. The firm was hired by the City of Milwaukee Parks Commission and made four in-person visits to select a site with native forests, scenic views and rolling hills. Located just outside the city’s limits, the park was soon incorporated into the swiftly developing city. Frederick Law Olmsted had anticipated that the park would help attract new development to the area. 

A series of circular roads and walkways looped through the 130-acre park’s rolling terrain. Olmsted’s pastoral design also included the strategic planting of thousands of trees and shrubs and an ample picnic area and a wooden gazebo for musical events. The design’s focal point was a seven-acre lagoon and aquatic garden. By the early 1900s, the park’s lagoon became Milwaukee’s most popular location for ice skating. 

Other early additions to the park included a boathouse, a mile-long horse-racing track, grandstands and stables.  Later, basketball and tennis courts, aquatic facilities, playgrounds and other modern amenities were added. The Washington Park Zoo, housing bears, deer and sheep, was a highlight of the metropolitan park until it was subsequently closed in 1963. Mid-century development and urban renewal led to the removal of the western edge of the park.  

Although Washington Park is one of the most historic parks in Milwaukee, it is not currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was, however, added to the Wisconsin Historical Society Architecture and History Inventory in 2019. As of 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is re-thinking WIS 175, a decision that could return the western edges of the park to the people of Milwaukee.