Stewart Park
Encyclopedia
Stewart Park is in Ithaca, New York
. Ithaca is located on the southern tip of Cayuga Lake
, the largest Finger Lake, and Stewart sits directly on that tip. The park is a popular place for barbecue
s, frisbee
, tennis
, baseball
, and softball
, as well as fishing
and swimming on the lake. The park has a carousel
that operates throughout the summer. In addition, there is a playground, with slides, and a fountain
, along with sheltered areas for picnic
s and large gatherings. The park is also equipped with grills dispersed around the grounds.
The park is also notable for hosting the final day of the Ithaca Festival, during which the park is notoriously difficult to get into, due to parking overflowing.
Stewart Park was originally part of the estate of James Renwick, and its first name was Renwick Park, where it operated as a private swimming and amusement park. After the turn of the century it became unprofitable, and finally shut down in 1915. The land was leased to The Whartons film studio during Ithaca's brief heyday as a silent film production center, from 1915 to 1919.
Mayor Edwin C. Stewart during his inauguration speech in 1920 declared that it was a "travesty" that Ithacans couldn't enjoy the lake without trespassing on private property. By 1921 he made good on his promise, and the city had purchased the former Renwick Park land and opened it to the public. Mayor Stewart died before the official opening of the park on July 4th, and it was renamed in his honor. In 1934, the park land was raised by several feet to reduce flooding.
Fall Creek empties into Cayuga Lake through Stewart Park. Stewart Park is also the location of the Cascadilla Boat Club's boathouse. The Fuertes Bird Sanctuary sits at the southern end of the park, and it is bordered on the west by the City of Ithaca's municipal golf course.
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
. Ithaca is located on the southern tip of Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area and second largest in volume. It is just under 40 miles long. Its average width is 1.7 miles , and it is at its widest point near Aurora...
, the largest Finger Lake, and Stewart sits directly on that tip. The park is a popular place for barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s, frisbee
Frisbee
A flying disc is a disc-shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly in diameter, with a lip. The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating....
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, as well as fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and swimming on the lake. The park has a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
that operates throughout the summer. In addition, there is a playground, with slides, and a fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
, along with sheltered areas for picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
s and large gatherings. The park is also equipped with grills dispersed around the grounds.
The park is also notable for hosting the final day of the Ithaca Festival, during which the park is notoriously difficult to get into, due to parking overflowing.
Stewart Park was originally part of the estate of James Renwick, and its first name was Renwick Park, where it operated as a private swimming and amusement park. After the turn of the century it became unprofitable, and finally shut down in 1915. The land was leased to The Whartons film studio during Ithaca's brief heyday as a silent film production center, from 1915 to 1919.
Mayor Edwin C. Stewart during his inauguration speech in 1920 declared that it was a "travesty" that Ithacans couldn't enjoy the lake without trespassing on private property. By 1921 he made good on his promise, and the city had purchased the former Renwick Park land and opened it to the public. Mayor Stewart died before the official opening of the park on July 4th, and it was renamed in his honor. In 1934, the park land was raised by several feet to reduce flooding.
Fall Creek empties into Cayuga Lake through Stewart Park. Stewart Park is also the location of the Cascadilla Boat Club's boathouse. The Fuertes Bird Sanctuary sits at the southern end of the park, and it is bordered on the west by the City of Ithaca's municipal golf course.