Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center

The parks were popular year round as shown in photo circa  1950's.  My husband remembers that he would bring his skates to school.  Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center

Mulick Park steps lead down from building down to the various age-appropriate playgrounds.  Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center.

Mulick Park had a beautifully arranged Park-Playground desgiend by the City Park's Department as shown in this long-veiw circa 1950's. Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center 

The Mulick Park-School model was created by the City Parks Department.  Fred See, Park Superintendent, the man who introduced this idea to the City Commission and School Board, brought the model to the convention of the American Landscape Architects and won first place, the blue ribbon in 1955.  Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center.

Park-School Model created by City Parks Department.  Photo Courtesy City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center

Photo City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center

As part of the Park-School Development Program, older schools that were not replaced received new park-playgrounds.  This drawing by the City Parks Department shows a beautiful park with basketball, baseball and tennis courts.  It has areas for recreation activities as well as and track and field area.  Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center.

This Parks Department utility vehicle parked at Harrison School  in the 1950's is ready to work on the new park-playground showed in the schematic drawing in the previous Parks-Progress photo.  Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center.

Lighting and shaded benches were special features at new Grand Rapids Park-Playgrounds surrounding the Park-Schools in the development of efficient year-round park-playgrounds designed for all ages.  Harrison Park-Playground.  Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center.  

Campau Park School was constructed in the middle of a beautiful but declining older park off Division that was once the Antoine Campau farm.  This photo taken in 1959 shows students enjoying the basketball court with the new school in the background.

Campau Park-School playground already had this awesome pool for the neighborhood children to enjoy.  1959 Photo.  Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center.

The City Parks Department added this wading pool to the Campau Park-School playground.   Photo 1959  - Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center.

Photo of Madison Park School, completed in 1956, was designed by the J. &. G. Daverman.  It replaced the old Madison on a site adjacent to Madison Park after several lots were puchased.  School was replaced Gerald Ford Academic Center on the same site.  Photo Courtesy of City of Grand Rapids Community Archives and Research Center