Historic landscape features in the College Park Historic District were developed by Dr. Charles Carson Cox (1864-1905), a dendrologist, in 1896. The city government has diligently maintained the planned character and appearance of the community through a combination of public works programs and land use regulations. Many of the original plantings remain in the historic district–some marked with plaques denoting species and date. Dr. Cox’s ideas continue to be used as a guide for new and replacement planting. The original plantings which include canopied oaks and flowering dogwoods are intermixed along the wide, curbed streets in a distinctive pattern.
Mrs. Oscar Palmour (1881-1958) and the College Park Garden Club, originally known as the Chrysanthemum Club, did individual planting guides and drawings for private homes based on the previous work of Dr. Cox and the influence of Frederick Law Olmsted. The linear park along West Main Street which connects the city government complex: city hall, library, city auditorium and McClarin High School, features large oak and magnolia trees which soften the brick and concrete construction. This park—like area enhances the aesthetics of the city and provides a location for the Fall Festival, Little League celebrations and other community gatherings. Barrett Park, which adjoins Longino School, contains modern lighted tennis courts, playground equipment, a field used for Little League and soccer, and picnic spots. Oak, maple, dogwood and pine trees outline its open area. Neighborhood and community groups utilize the park for athletic, recreational and social activities. Zupp Park, on Adams Street in the southeastern portion of the historic district and formerly named Peter Pan Park, is landscaped with oak, magnolia and dogwood trees. The park which adjoins S. R. Young School has ball fields, picnic shelters and playground equipment. Zupp Park is consistent with the overall design of the Barrett Park on West Rugby Avenue in the western area of the district.
Along the three miles of East and West Main Streets, Bradford pears, poplars, forsythias, evergreens and a variety of low—growing and flowering shrubs provide an ornamental and sound buffer between the rail lines and the roadways. Brick-edged sidewalks, period lighting and park benches with appropriate evergreen and flowering plantings line the streets in the commercial district. Historic front yard landscaping, consisting of broad expanses of lawn and informal arrangement of oaks and ornamental trees, shrubbery and flower gardens, is found throughout the district. This correlates to the original ideas of Dr. Cox and Mrs. Palmour.
Photo by Randall Zaic
Photo by Randall Zaic
Photo by Randall Zaic
Photo by Randall Zaic
From the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, College Park Historic District, College Park, Fulton County, Georgia, National Register #96001338.
College Park Historical Society 