Stansbury Park on Third Street, Current Conditions

The University of Louisville Foundation is working on plans to completely overhaul the triangular, 7-acre Stansbury Park across Third Street from the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus.  Plans call for a major restoration of the park’s original turn-of-the-century Olmsted Brothers’ layout to connect the Belknap Campus with the rest of the community.  The project will cost an estimated $12.5 million and will begin once enough donations have been secured by the Foundation.

Originally called the Third Street Triangle and then Triangle Park, the refurbished Stansbury Park looks to build upon recent growth in the surrounding neighborhoods and will set the stage for future University development around the park.  With a new addition to the Speed Museum in the works, hundreds of new student housing units coming online this year, and plans for a mixed-use redevelopment of the Masterson’s block to the north, Stansbury Park could serve as the focal point for a growing area around the University.

Plans include extending Unity Place (first called Park Place and then Confederate Place) to restore the park’s triangular shape.  To do this, a mid-century dormitory built half-way in the park will be torn down.  A future building could house a University Inn and a restaurant facing the park with outdoor dining.  The master plan for Stansbury Park was created by Rowland Design of West Main Street and DLK Civic Design of Chicago for the U of L Foundation.

Pedestrian access and bike routes are also a major design concern for the project.  Unity Place will be closed at Second Street to enhance pedestrian safety and bike access to the University and the Olmsted-designed parkways beyond.  A bike pavilion could be located along Fourth Street and future transportation projects in the area will include additional bike lanes.  This is an especially welcome feature considering Mayor William Stansbury, for whom the park is named, was killed by a motorist while crossing Bardstown Road on his way to church in April 1985.  Later that year, the Board of Aldermen changed the park’s name from Triangle Park to Stansbury Park.

Click through to read more, see photos, original Olmsted layouts, and future park plans.