Established in 1890 by Joel Hurt, the developer of Inman Park, this ten-acre sanctuary has the distinction of being one of the oldest parks in Atlanta. It was designed to be the centerpiece of Inman Park, with exotic plantings and a pond known as Crystal Lake. An article in the Atlanta Journal from 1890 reported that the park was planted with more than 1,000 native plants, 180 live oaks, 250 silver maples, and 100 water oaks, along with magnolias, Norway maples and sycamores, plus 116 rhododendrons and 100 azaleas from England.
In 1903 Hurt hired the Olmsted Brothers firm to develop landscape plans to enhance the park. The Olmsted firm was established by their father, Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City and the Biltmore House gardens in Asheville, North Carolina and acknowledged as one of the founders of the landscape architecture profession.
Sadly, as the neighborhood declined, this once scenic jewel became a graveyard for junked cars and trash, its lake clogged with debris. No one cared when the lake was drained and a portion of the park was filled in and paved over to connect Euclid Avenue for the convenience of motorists.
But since the mid 1970s, through the hard work of neighbors and with funds generated from the annual Inman Park Festival, a matching grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the State Historic Preservation Office, and a federal grant, Springvale Park has partially reclaimed its heritage as a historic scenic park.
During 2010 and 2011, Park Pride and the Springvale Park Committee of the Inman Park Neighborhood Association created a master plan for the future development of the park. Phase I focused on the creation of a new playground for the growing numbers of children in the neighborhood. The playground was finished in 2013 and is now celebrating its 12th anniversary. Phase II, completed in 2016, included a handicapped-accessible pathway into the park, curbing, and granite walls around the playground, a sensory garden, a bocce ball court, shade trees for the playground, and new pathways.
We hope you will enjoy strolling, relaxing, and playing in The Little Gnome Zone in Springvale Park during Festival!