Discover the History Schiller Park

Discover the History Schiller Park. . 1864 and 1865 , Stewart's Grove, owned by Francis Stewart, is the site of the Ohio State Fair. A large portion of Stewart's Grove will one day become Schiller Park., 1867 , The City of Columbus purchases 23 acres of Stewart's Grove and renames it City Park., 1872 , The original Umbrella Girl statue enhances the park as a drinking fountain until its disappearance between World War II and the 1950s. The mystery remains unsolved., 1891 , Monument to Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) is dedicated on July 4 with 10,000 in attendance., 1905 , City Council changes the name of the park from City Park to Schiller Park., 1918 , Schiller Park is renamed Washington Park due to anti-German sentiment during World War I. Motion to remove Schiller statue not adopted., 1930 , A new caretaker's cottage is built as part of a depression-era Works Progress Administration project., 1930 , Citizens and civic leaders successfully petition City Council to reinstate the Schiller Park name., 1917 , Schiller Park Recreation Center opens., 1967 - 1971 , The German Village Businessman's Association hosts Oktoberfest in Schiller Park., 1981 , Friends of Schiller Park, the first Friends group in Columbus, is chartered. The initial priorities of planting new trees and improving the playground are accomplished in short order., 1982 , Actors' Theatre of Columbus launches with a single performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The troupe performs on temporary staging until the amphitheater is built in 1994., 1988 , Schiller Park Masterplan by Richard Trott and Partners Architects is published., 1991 , Friends of Schiller Park, in collaboration with the German Village Society, launch a capital campaign that provides nearly $500,000 for masterplan implementation., 1993 , The Huntington Garden and the Schiller Promenade are dedicated., 1996 , A reimagined Umbrella Girl statue sculpted and contributed by Joan Wobst and a nearby hosta garden in memory of Grace Highfield are dedicated., 2012 , Schiller Park commemorates the city's Bicentennial with Ode to Joy program and enhancements to the Schiller Monument (landscaping, lighting, signs)., 2012 , President Barack Obama campaigns in Schiller Park., 2017 , Friends of Schiller Park celebrate the park's Sesquicentennial with the publication of Schiller Park Across Time., 2022 , Five sculptures by renowned Polish artist Jerzy Kedziora are installed.