A Madison Landmark
"Glenwood Children's Park is a former sandstone quarry that was used in the early years of Madison's history. It is said that North and South Halls on the UW campus were built from stone from this quarry.By the 1920s the quarry was merely an abandoned but picturesque glen. Members of the Madison Parks and Pleasure Drive Association identified it as a pleasant spot for a park in the 1920s, but it wasn't until 1943 that the Louis Gardner family purchased the site for public enjoyment.
At the same time noted landscape architect Jens Jensen, known at the dean of the naturalistic style of landscaping, visited the dell and became interested in its development as a park for children. In 1949 Jensen returned to the park and supervised its renovation, with removal of alien species and the addition of flowering shrubs and trees and "council rings" for children's play."
In 1975, Mona Cline of the Dudgeon Neighborhood Association nominated the park for designation as a Landmark. She said the Association was interested in restoring the park. But it hasn't happened yet.
