The Springfield-Greene County Park Board and the Woodland Heights Neighborhood Association will host a public input open house for Lafayette park on April 3^rd from 4 to 6 pm at the Springfield Dream Center.

This come-and-go open house will include preliminary plans for improvements to the west portion of Lafayette Park, used as a School-Park for nearby Reed Middle School. The Park Board is working with Springfield Public Schools on the feasibility of installing a running track and upgrades to the multi-use sports field in the School-Park area.

Also at this open house, the Park Board is seeking public input to help develop a master plan for Lafayette Park. Residents, neighbors and the general public are invited to rate current amenities and proposed improvements, and share their ideas for this historic neighborhood park.

Lafayette Park, 202 E Atlantic St., is one of the two oldest public parks in Springfield, and is one of the Park Board’s 10 Historic Parks, each dating before World War II. Lafayette Park was established in 1869, just before the Frisco Railway brought the railroad to North Springfield — a separate city from Springfield until 1887. The park’s namesake is Marquis de Lafayette, a French nobleman and officer who served under Gen. George Washington in the American Revolution. The park was privately maintained until it and its sister park, Washington Park, a half mile southeast, were acquired by the Park Board in 1913. At the time, they were the only two public parks in Springfield.

Classified as in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan as a Neighborhood Park, Lafayette is a little more than 6.63 acres, including four acres added in 2006 for use as Reed School-Park. A new playground feature was added in 2019, funded by the Republic Services Charitable Foundation, through Habitat for Humanity of Springfield, Missouri.