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Park Description
An oasis of beauty in downtown Cincinnati's central business district, Lytle Park features a panorama of floral displays changing from tulips, magnolia and crabapple in the the spring to annuals and perennials in the summer and to annuals mixed with chrysanthemums in the fall.
The 2.31 acre park, bounded by Fourth and Lawrence Streets, is the original site of the Lytle family homestead, built in 1809 by General William Henry Lytle. General Lytle was the first Surveyor General of the Northwestern Territory and the first Surveyor General of the State of Ohio. General William Haines Lytle, soldier-poet, who was born there on March 2, 1826, was killed in the Battle of Chickamauga during the Civil War.
The land known as Lytle Square was purchased by the city in 1905.
Captain Will Lytle's party of pioneers first encamped on the site of what would later become Fort Washington and Cincinnati. In 1780, his party fought the Indians for the prize of Cincinnati and six years later, Ludlow platted the site.
Originally scheduled for demolishment as the connecting link of I-71 to Ft. Washington Way, the park was saved by public protest which resulted in the construction of the now-existing I-71 traffic tunnel over which the park now stands. The park was leveled in 1967 and later restored with new landscape designs. Lytle Park represents the first use of air-rights over an expressway in Ohio and one of the first in the nation.
The statue of Abraham Lincoln in the park was the gift to the City of Cincinnati from Mr. and Mrs. Charles Phelps Taft. An original work of George Grey Barnard, "Lincoln - The Man" was formally presented to the city by ex-President William Howard Taft in ceremonies on March 31, 1917. In 1972, the venerable statue was restored as a gift to the city by Mr. and Mrs. Elftherios Karkadoulias.
Lytle Park also features an allee of flags tracing the history of the Stars and Stripes; an ornamental wall with plaques depicting historic events which have occurred on this site; a monument dedicated to the U.S. Marine Corps; and the Michael Mullen bandstand used for free concerts for the public.
Visiting Lytle Park :
501 East Fourth St.
Cincinnati , OH 45202
View Driving Directions
[ Description of the Park | Features and Facilities | Maps | Upcoming Events ]
