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Iroquois Park

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1891–1895, Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. Roughly bounded by Huntoon Ave. and New Cut, Palatka, and Manslick rds.
  • Observation Point, c. 1922 (Photograph by Caulfield and Shook, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress)

The 739-acre Iroquois Park is the largest in Frederick Law Olmsted’s Louisville park system. Built on a steep hillside covered with an old-growth forest, Iroquois Park was promoted by Olmsted as “Louisville’s Yellowstone.” It has an oak savannah, which Olmsted planted with prairies grasses, and a low wood floor that is full of native sweet gum trees and tulip poplars. Roads and footpaths throughout the park provide scenic vistas and panoramic views. In 1938, the Works Progress Administration constructed the 2,000-seat Iroquois Amphitheater, which underwent extensive renovations and the addition of a partial roof in 2003.

References

Haragan, Patricia Dalton. The Olmsted Parks of Louisville. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2014.

Rademacher Susan M. “A Living Legacy: Louisville’s Olmsted Landscapes.” In Louisville Guide,edited by Gregory A. Luhan, Dennis Domer, and David Mohney. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Cristina Carbone
Coordinator: 
Cristina Carbone
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Data

Timeline

  • 1891

    Design and construction

  • 1938

    Iroquois Amphitheater built

What's Nearby

Churchill Downs
Seagram/Calvert Distillery
Reynolds Lofts
Conrad-Caldwell House Museum
Louisville Olmsted Parks and Parkways

Citation

Cristina Carbone, "Iroquois Park", [Louisville, Kentucky], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/KY-01-111-0066-02.

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