Watertown’s Thompson Park: A vision dreamed, a future envisioned

Mr. Olmsted, of Olmsted Brothers, was one of the most famous landscape architects at the time in the country, and was quite used to travel. He was born in Switzerland and by the time he was 5, he had traversed the Atlantic twice, lost his father to tuberculosis and gained a stepfather.

His uncle, Frederick Law Olmsted, (1822-1903) who adopted him, is recognized as the father of American landscape architecture. His projects include Central Park in New York City, Franklin Park in Boston, Delaware Park in Buffalo and the grounds at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Goodale had an assignment from Schenectady native John C. Thompson, the founder of the New York Air Brake Co. and who had married Watertown resident Julie Boyer and thought of Watertown as his “adopted home.” Mr. Thompson, who had a main office in New York City, wanted Mr. Goodale to secretly purchase Watertown property for a grand municipal park. In 1901, plans for the park were unveiled. But its developer remained anonymous to the public. By the summer of 1901, hundreds of acres had been acquired and construction had begun.

But on that July day in 1899, a Watertown Daily Times reporter caught up with Mr. Olmsted during his visit here of a couple of days. “The visitor stated that he had no systemic plan yet formed, and would have to look the ground over more carefully before he could begin to make a design. ‘I am retained to look the ground over and make such recommendations for the development of the park’s natural advantages as I deem proper. That is all there is of the present. I will say that I consider it a beautiful piece of ground for the purpose at hand.’”

But this much was known by the Times: “The park proper will include over 200 acres, extending from the reservoir to the summit of the Pinnacle (then farm land). From the top can be seen, on clear days, the waters of Lake Ontario and a ribbony glint of the St. Lawrence. It begins to seem apparent that something very fine is to be done for Watertown by someone possessing means.”

Intriguingly, two months before Mr. Olmsted’s visit, on May 20, 1899, a columnist in the Times, who only went by the pen name “Tourist,” said they received “a letter on an important subject that I have frequently alluded to.” The letter writer wondered why there was not a grand park in the city, calling it a “great shame.” The report was headlined, “A Park Is Needed — Charms of Pinnacle Hill.”

“The suggestion of taking the territory around Pinnacle Hill as a public park is not a new one. I have urged it for years, both personally and in this column … There is no place in this town where there is a bit of greensward and walks and fountain, a place where the band might play and the people listen in comfort; a place where the tired men might stroll after supper and enjoy a cigar and a newspaper and see his neighbors …”

The “Tourist” envisioned four or five financiers contributing $1,000 each to buy land around Pinnacle Hill and “hold it until the city was in shape to take if off their hands.”

“Somebody will grab these heights for residence purposes before long, for really they are the most desirable inside the city limits, and as the city is rapidly extending in that direction, the property should be secured for the public. Has anyone a practical suggestion to offer? — Tourist.”

One plan called for the creation of a 500-acre park, and a 1901 Times report said the “park includes 650 acres.” In late June 1901, the city was hit by a heat wave and residents who had begun to flock to the “Pinnacle” to check out the progress of the park discovered a perk. “There was at least a difference of 10 degrees between the temperature in the vicinity of the park and that of the crowded residence section of the city last evening.”

The park ended up being 355 acres, became city property in 1917 following an anonymous gift and was completed in 1918. Mr. Thompson had remained an anonymous donor of the park land until 1921. It wasn’t until his death in 1924 at the age of 79 that his name became associated with the park.

Today, with the recent acquisition of the Watertown Golf Club by the city, Thompson Park, nestled between Gotham Street and Route 12, consists of 429 acres.

Upon Thompson’s death in 1924, his anonymity was taken away, and the park was renamed Thompson Park, instead of City Park or Municipal Park, to honor its founder.

According to the National Park Service, the plan for the park included a formal tree-lined boulevard as the primary entrance, which would connect roads and paths curving through the park toward its summit. To mitigate the steepness, John C. Olmsted designed walls, overlooks, shelters and steps that ascended the slopes, all accompanied by textured plantings. The park’s rolling greens, shady groves and pathways are attractive for visitors. The parks the Olmsteds designed incorporated meadows, woods, elaborate plantings and long vistas to relieve the eye from city scenes.

For Watertown artist William Christopherson, who walks nearly daily at the park, the vistas are inspiring and the place is a treasure. He and his family have enjoyed Thompson Park since they bought their house near the park on Boyd Street in 1989.

“Back when I was in school of landscape architecture at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, we were given a good dose of history and background on Frederick Olmsted, the grandfather of landscape architecture,” Mr. Christopherson said. “As for our park, I have to say Thompson Park is for me, my most favorite of all the Olmsted park designs, including those in the big cities.”

Mr. Christopherson, with an artist’s eye, described why that is so: “It rises so eloquently from the neighborhoods surrounding, into the heights above. For me, this is not only a physical departure and escape from the bustling sounds and congestion of the city below, but actually a spiritual journey as you walk, or ride up into the park on the roads and trails. Both physically, and spiritually it is a departure and release into the beautiful pastoral landscape in that higher ground. “

Plus, he said there’s the scenic views in all directions to the Tug Hill, the Lake Ontario plain, the St. Lawrence valley and the city itself — all “astounding.”

“The pastoral birding fields and open viewsheds of the golf course are hugely important to the overall Thompson Park experience,” Mr. Christopherson said. “I can’t express how grateful I am that the city has saved this landscape from residential development or other uses. In our modern times, I am amazed as I walk through the park, how many different types of groups and uses take place. Every day through the summer, seems there is a different activity, cause, picnic, or group celebration taking place, and that is what all parks should be about.”

MASTER PLANS AND VISIONS

In 1920, a zoo was added to the park. In 1967, on the park’s 50th anniversary, the Times reported, “There has also been discussion to build a new modern swimming pool in the park.” A pool was eventually built but was closed down and a renovated one, with a new bathhouse, opened in 2020. In 2016, the North Country Honors the Mountain Monument was added, honoring the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division. The monument’s committee raised more than $500,000 from businesses and individual donors. A popular splash pad on park grounds opened in 2018.

There have been visions never realized at the park. A “water tower overlook,” the most extravagant aspect of original park plans, would have allowed sightseers to view miles in each direction. Mr. Olmsted envisioned eight stone columns surrounding the water tower holding an octagonal platform accessed by a spiral staircase. The original water tower was replaced in 1978, which covered the area which had been a wading pool, completed in 1901. But another use was found for the pool: “Large groups of children and a new adults are using the park wading pool as a skating rink,” the Times reported on Dec. 28, 1939. In other winter activities, there was once a ski hill with a tow rope at the park and in 1940 the Times reported on plans for a toboggan run.

Some plans along the park’s western edge were never developed. “Goose Pond,” near Gotham Street, was planned to be a fixture where park-goers could rent small boats. Of the three “downs” or open fields planned, only two were cleared.

There have been a couple of master plans developed for the park. One was presented in 1968 and another in 1985. The 1985 plan included a price tag of $6.5 million ($18 million in today’s dollars) for recommendations listed.

The latest master plan was released in February. Among its recommendations: a new bandstand, improved connections to nearby neighborhoods, a more cohesive trail system, additional parking, a winter village and a Thompson Park museum. The city is working with consultant Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners PLLC, New York City, on the park’s blueprint for the future. The firm was retained by the city to develop the plan, the first update since the one from 1985.

“It’s a very rare park within the city,” said City Manager Kenneth A. Mix. “We’re lucky to have it. We’ve developed some ideas through the master plan that I think will enhance the park for years to come. The most interest we’ve seen is to take advantage of the natural setting so you can get outdoors, walk trails, enjoy nature and that type of thing. I think that’s the emphasis, rather than building structures and that type of thing.”