“Great hill,” huh? That’s what Bryn Mawr means in Welsh. We are standing at Bryn Mawr Meadows in Minneapolis. This park got its name from John Oswald’s farm. His farm once stood where we are now.
Oswald wasn’t just a farmer. He was quite the entrepreneur. Back in the 1860s he grew tobacco. He even made fruit wines. This led him to start the first wholesale wine and liquor business in Minneapolis. Quite the legacy for a park name, isn’t it?
Bryn Mawr Meadows wasn’t always a park. In 1910, Oswald’s son-in-law offered to sell part of the estate to the park board. Theodore Wirth, a key figure in Minneapolis parks, wasn’t impressed. He didn’t see any special advantage to the land. Except maybe as a connection between other parks. He even said it was of “little importance”. Ouch.
But the park board bought 39 acres in 1911 for $32,000. Residents promised they wouldn’t ask for any improvements. The cost was assessed to the neighborhood properties. I wonder if they regretted that promise later.
Fast forward to 1915. Wirth changed his tune. He suggested an equestrian center with horse-riding and polo grounds. The idea never took off. Can you imagine polo in Bryn Mawr Meadows today? In 1922, a baseball field was approved. A playground followed in 1928.
More land was acquired along Bassett’s Creek in 1934. This connected Bryn Mawr to Glenwood Park, now Wirth Park. It cost $14,000. The Glenwood-Inglewood Company and Arthur Fruen, a city council member, donated 14 acres.
The first building here was a toilet and storage shed in 1953. Progress, right? Part of Bryn Mawr was lost to freeway construction in 1966. But the freeways ended up enlarging the park. Seven athletic fields at The Parade were lost. Bryn Mawr was expanded to make up for it.
Big changes came in 1992 with renovations to the playing fields. In 2005, Bryn Mawr connected to the Luce Line bicycle trail. This linked paths from Wirth Park to downtown Minneapolis.
From 2021 to 2023, Bryn Mawr Meadows got a major makeover. The goal? Balance recreation with nature. Nine and a half acres of playing fields became native plants and grasses. This created a stormwater greenway. Six acres of lawn became pollinator-friendly “bee lawn”. A new playground and mountain-bike skills course were added. Over a mile and a half of new trails wind through the park.
Today Bryn Mawr Meadows is a hub for sports and recreation. There is a cricket field, a wading pool, and even a broomball rink. The bicycle skills park, built in 2023, is a hit with families.
Remember John Oswald, the wine maker? His “great hill” has come a long way. It started as a farm, almost wasn’t a park, and is now a thriving green space. Bryn Mawr Meadows offers something for everyone.