West Park was created in 1908 by the recently created City Parks Commission on land that had been an old Indian trail and part of a tributary of Allen Creek. The first sport played there was baseball. After a bond issue was passed in 1915, more amenities for tennis and playgrounds were built. The Gateway was built on the site of the former Third Ward School in 1927 at the Miller Street entrance. The gateway has four Ionic columns with wisteria draped on two large trellises that shade two benches.

Down the hill from the Gateway is the West Park Band Shell. It was constructed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The building features a wonderful Art Moderne arch under which performances are staged. The rear wing serves as a dressing room for musicians and performers. From the beginning, the West Park Band Shell has been home to the Ann Arbor Civic Band, and in the 1960s was the scene of legendary concerts by rock icons the Grateful Dead and the MC5. In 2010, West Park underwent a major overhaul to improve the band shell and drainage in the park.

Former IHP

Return to Miller Road/Water Hill/Sunset neighborhood from Historic Ann Arbor: An Architectural Guide