Frank W. Hoyt Park

What is now known as Frank W. Hoyt Park is made up of two sections. Each section was developed in 19th century, separately, before being joined in the 20th century. One section of more than 20 acres was previously used as a stone quarry. Originally the quarry was a private enterprise. It was purchased by the City of Madison in 1890.

The other section once belonged to Edward T. Owen, a professor at what is now the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Owen eventually donated the land to a local private parks association and it became known as Owen Parkway. Additional land would be donated by Frank W. Hoyt, a key figure in the parks association.

Eventually, the city closed down the stone quarry and the two sections were combined into one public park, later to be named after Frank W. Hoyt. During the Great Depression, several structures and pathways were developed by the Civil Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration.

In 2018, the park was added to the State and the National Register of Historic Places.[2]