WHEREAS, Fairmount Park was formed in 1855, when Lemon Hill, a 45
acre city-owned estate north of the Fairmount Water Works and Reservoir, was officially renamed Fairmount Park, thus becoming the nucleus of an urban greenbelt, representing one of the earliest efforts in the American Park Movement; and
WHEREAS, Fairmount Park is one of the largest landscaped park systems in the world possessing some 9,200 acres, five million trees, historic houses and the Schuylkill River; and
WHEREAS, Over half of the Fairmount Park system is comprised of natural areas — stream corridors, woodlands, meadows and wetlands; and
WHEREAS, Fairmount Park stretches throughout the City from the northwestern edge, into Center City, South Philadelphia, and to the far reaches of Northeast Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, With 62 neighborhood parks and squares, no Philadelphian lives more than one mile from a park; and
WHEREAS, Fairmount Park has one of the largest collections of authentic colonial homes in America; and
WHEREAS, Fairmount Park was the site of the hugely successful Centennial Exhibition in 1876 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which established the reputation of the United States as a major industrial and technological power in the world, and for which the landmark building Memorial Hall was constructed; and
WHEREAS, On October 8, 1908, one of the earliest motor racing events in United States history took place in Fairmount Park, drawing a half million spectators; and
WHEREAS, Fairmount Park offers a wide range of things to do all year round: from institutions, like the world-class Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Zoo (the nation’s first), to special events like the Wachovia Bike Race, the Dad Vail Regatta, and World Champion Dragon Boat Races; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That City Council Hereby Recognize, Honor, And Celebrate Famrmount Park — For Its Invaluable Contributions To The Lifestyle And Beauty Of The City Of Philadelphia — On The Occasion Of It’s 150th
Anniversary: 2005.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Fairmount Park Commission as further evidencing the sincere admiration and gratitude of this legislative body.
End