Colorado Springs officials are moving forward in an effort to revive a historic park. 

The Parks Department is set to host neighbors and residents beyond interested in the future of Stratton Neighborhood Park, the nearly 8.5 acres along Cheyenne Creek on the city’s southwest side. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the site, 1819 W. Cheyenne Road. 

The meeting is the next in a series that started last year aimed at forming a vision for the park bearing the name of one of Colorado Springs’ most celebrated figures. 

Winfield Scott Stratton established the park in 1902, around the time he bought the Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway Co. The park became a cherished stop along the trolley system. Historic photos show a pavilion, bandstand, playground equipment, a lake and several rustic bridges crossing the creek under tall cottonwoods. 

The same year he opened the park, Stratton died. In the 1920s, his estate starting selling portions of the property that originally covered 20 acres. The estate created the Myron Stratton Home, where a trustee, Carl Chamberlain, was quoted in The Gazette in 1954: “We prefer to see Stratton Park preserved as a park if arrangements can be made for its maintenance and improvements.” 

The Philanthropic Educational Organization took ownership of the remaining 8.48 acres in 1966. Infrastructure remains from the organization’s decades of housing chapter members. 

The Parks Department acquired the land for $2.3 million in 2021. The department has since been collecting feedback for a master plan “ensuring that the park honors its storied past and serves the needs of future generations.”

Along with the upcoming meeting, officials have listed next steps for fire mitigation around the old park. A draft master plan could be posted around this time next year, according to a timeline on a project webpage: coloradosprings.gov/StrattonNeighborhoodPark