About Moores Park
Moores Park turned 100 years old in 2008! It has been a beautiful spot for residents to come and play for all these years. Offering the pool, ball fields, basketball, tennis, shuffleboard, fishing, picnicking, access to the River Trail, and beautiful fall colors.
The Park’s History
On December 6, 1890, land speculators Hollister and Skinner announced their plan to part 116 acres south of the C. & G.T. Depot (the now defunct station on Washington Avenue) into 265 lots to be known as the Park Place addition to the City of Lansing, Michigan. A large tract of land known as Belvedere Park, which adjoins the Grand River just above Glen Island, was a key feature to this new addition. In the plan, the stream that flowed along Bradley Avenue would empty into Jordan Lake (now the location of tennis courts and a playground in Moores Park), complete with a boat house and an outlet stream to the river. A summer house, to be known as Temple Hill, was planned for the western part of the park.
In 1908, Mr. J.H. Moores purchased the land that is now Moores Park. In a speech to the City’s business leaders, Moores said “the ground came to me with the purchase of the majority of the lots in the Park Place addition in 1905. In looking the ground over, I was able to see in my mind something of what you can see today and I let no time slip away until I closed the deal… it seems to me that for the health and happiness of all, parks and playgrounds should be developed in proportion as our growth and manufacturing interests increase.”
On December 21, 1908, Moores presented title to the 18 acres to the City Council. He installed pedestals at the east and west entrances where Moores River Drive then entered and exited the park, including one at the stream at Bradley Avenue. The pedestals still have the bronze tablets with Moores’ motto. In the same year, Moores Park Elementary School was built, creating a school and park union.
The park has provided a variety of outdoor experiences to the City of Lansing residents for the last hundred years. At one time, elk roamed the park, but were moved to Potter Park Zoo upon its opening. No record was found detailing plans for Jordan Lake, but the swimming pool at the east end of Moores Park was dedicated in 1922. Today, the park includes access to the City’s prized Rivertrail, many popular fishing areas, ball fields, basketball courts, two sets of playground equipment, shuffleboard courts, and picnic areas. A labyrinth was installed in 2008.
There have been many changes to the park over the years. The stream that once flowed through the park from Bradley Avenue was diverted through a drainage tile and covered over. The concrete ends of the bridge over the stream remained until the late 1960’s. Having celebrated the 100th anniversary in 2008, Moores Park continues to be a beacon for Lansing’s park system for decades to come.
