History Blooms at Period Park in Madison, Wisconsin

 

Period Park in Madison, Wisconsin, invites visitors to an amble through a late 19th-century garden. Upon walking through Period Park, we felt transported to the carefully crafted and maintained gardens of the Gilded Age. Period Park provides a for a short pause in a stunning natural setting!

A gorgeous multi-tiered fountain rises above a patchwork of various colored plants at Period Park.

Period Park is the result of a volunteer effort that revitalized a parking lot into a garden bursting with blooms and dazzling with a fountain. I love that the community has been able to reignite a piece of history to keep the character of the neighborhood alive.

Plants joyfully spill from a sculpted planter.

Period Park infuses floral beauty into Madison's Mansion Hill District. Madison's wealthy lived in mansions in the district in the late 19th century. The first buildings in the district were constructed in the 1850s. Many of the structures you will see are Italianate or Queen Anne. Standing in the park, you will see some of these amazing period structures around you.

A sculpture rises above pinkish-purplish flowers in Period Park.

Walking around the park, we could see the love volunteers put into this remarkable green space. Although Period Park is small, there really is a lot packed into delight. We noted quite a few animal friends including a hummingbird!

A plaque details the history of the Mansion Hill District.

Citizens took ownership in the 1970s after learning there were intentions to turn the parking lot into apartments. In 1977, the city took ownership and the Civil Engineers of the Air National Guard removed the asphalt of the parking lot. Volunteers have since continually sculpted the garden. When visitors walk up the stairs into the park, they are transported to a garden from the 19th century. The iron fence is a vintage, period fence from Forest Hill Cemetery.

Plants grow in between the stonework at Period Park.

We totally delighted in our visit to Period Park. After walking up the stairs into the park, we were immediately transported to another world. Period Park offers a beautiful adventure back to another time. The dedication of the volunteers to keeping this space vibrant is remarkable and makes Period Park a place to visit when in Madison.