Page last updated on April 3, 2024 at 3:31 pm
Shakespeare in the Park
Monroe County Civic Theater presents A Comedy of Errors at the Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park, 331 S. Washington St.
Thursday-Saturday, May 30 through June 1 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 2 at 2 p.m.
Friday-Saturday, June 7 and 8 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m.
Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park
The new playground at the Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park is complete and ready for play! Click here to find out more about the new playground.
Accessibility: Designated parking spaces available behind the stage, paved sidewalk runs through the park by the fountain
Parking Areas: 17 spaces behind the bandstand (three designated handicapped), street parking
Play Fields: large open green space
Also: Fountain in the center of the park, bandstand with canopy, picnic tables.
Official Bloomington Parks Mobile App
Find us on OuterSpatial
Concerts, Movies and Plays
Schedule of free, live concerts and movies in Bloomington city parks.
Allison-Jukebox Community Center
Activity, party, and meeting room space available for hourly rent.
Event, Filming, and Class Permit Applications
Apply to hold an event or class in a city park.
Removal or Suspension from Bloomington Parks and Recreation Properties
Actions that could result in removal or suspension from City parks, and the appeal process.
Chemical Applications in City Parks
Record of chemical applications in city parks and trails.
Report a Problem at The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park
Use the uReport online system to report a problem or make a comment.
History of The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park
In May 1922, a committee was appointed by the Park Board to investigate the possibility of obtaining the land on East Third Street belonging to the Hill-Buskirk-Waldron estates for a city park. Mr. Charles Waldron wrote from Washington that he and his mother would be willing to turn over their part of the land to the city, providing the city would assume the indebtedness (about $5,000) and give the park a name honoring the three families. The Park Board agreed to buy the property in July 1922. Although the deed stipulated that the park should be named "The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park", the park was known as Third Street Park by the Bloomington community from the 1920s through the 2000s. On April 10, 2011, the park was officially "renamed" The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park in a celebratory ceremony.
The Allison-Jukebox Community Center, then known as the "Juke Box Teen Center," was built in 1938. Mr. William Adams and Mrs. B.F. Adams gave the Park Board $10,000 to build a swimming pool in the park in 1927. About $15,000 in additional bond funds were acquired, and the pool was constructed in 1928. The "Third Street Pool" was permanently closed in 1967.
An outdoor bandstand was built in 1938, and was demolished at the same time as the Third Street Pool, in 1967. A new band shell was built in the park in 1992, and an arched canopy was installed over the stage in 2002. A historic fountain from Rose Hill Cemetery was renovated and installed in the park in 1997.
The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department partnered with The Project School, IU Health Bloomington Hospital, and KaBOOM! to build a new playground with the help of more than 300 volunteers on May 20, 2011.