History
Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a
land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land
here.
Hollywood Park was acquired by the city in 1961 as the surrounding neighborhood subdivision was developed. The land was given to the city by the developer, as new developments at the time had a requirement to include some park land. Some work was done to clear undergrowth in the area in 1964 which drew protests from some of the neighbors and students from Abbott Elementary, which borders the park. Neighbors and students sent
letters to the parks department. There was some philosophical disagreement over how "natural beauty" would best be exhibited by the park, with some arguing that it should be left completely untouched. Parks director S.S. Sproull espoused the view that "natural beauty" can be sometimes better achieved with human maintenance. In a
letter concerning the park and the idea, he wrote:
"You will find almost unanimous approval of the concept of natural beauty, and among park people the approval will be 100%. This is our trade and we work at it every day. The concept has its variations however. Areas of so called natural beauty can and do include "nature areas", but are not limited to nature areas. This becomes difficult to define and differentiate, since we can have all degrees from the completely untouched to the very formally maintained. I won't go into specifics here, and merely wish to point out that Mother Nature can display considerable beauty without having poison ivy entwined in her hair and a sprig of ragweed clenched between her teeth."
Sproull met with residents in 1965 and came to an agreement that the neighbors happily agreed to, clearing dead trees and impassable undergrowth while leaving most of the park's natural features intact.
Read a Natural Area Preservation (NAP) Newsletter highlighting the park and its woods:
2000 Park Focus: Hollywood Park by Katherine O'Brien
