Bringing a park (back) to Sherman Hill
For the first time in nearly 30 years, Sherman Hill is on the verge of having its very own park again. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Sherman Hill Association, the Mickle Center, and dedicated neighborhood volunteers, we have a plan to bring a new playground to our community by 2025.
Below is how we got here and how you can be a part of this exciting project.
History: Sherman Hill’s lost park
If you’ve ever wondered why a neighborhood as great as Sherman Hill doesn’t have its own park – for 91 years, it did.
From 1904 to 1995, Sherman Hill’s Chamberlain Park occupied two acres at 19th and Ingersoll. The property was donated by the Chamberlain family, and even then it was considered a valuable piece of land, originally owned by the Ingersoll family.
The original park
According to city documents, the original park was packed with amenities. In talking with neighbors about the original park, some recalled taking their kids to the park and remembered using the wading pool.
The original park donors: Meet the Chamberlain family
The Chamberlains were a prominent family who founded Iowa’s first drug company in 1872. Siblings D. S. (Davis) Chamberlain, Lowell Chamberlain and Izanna Chamberlain were officers of the company.
By 1900, the business was flourishing. Over the next twenty years, branch offices were opened in South Africa, Australia and Canada. Products included Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy, Chamberlain’s Liniment and Chamberlain’s Pain Balm.
From left to right: Lowell, Izanna, and D.S. Chamberlain.
The Chamberlain family’s impact on Des Moines was remarkable and is connected to many landmarks and institutions of our city.
Des Moines officially adopts the park in 1933
The park operated outside of the city’s operations for its first 20 years.
In 1933, the park was officially deeded to the city and absorbed into the city’s park system. Interestingly, this change also lifted the rule that park visitors had to be under 12 years old or accompanying a child.
But by the early 1990’s, there was concern the park was becoming run down and little used. After a few years of debate and limbo, the park was sold to developers. G&L Clothing built a store (today’s Boot Barn) and Crescent Chevrolet built a used car lot (today’s Tri-City Electric).
Today, it looks like this:
Funds from the property sale were distributed to the Sherman Hill and Woodland Heights neighborhoods. Woodland Heights built Chamberlain Park near Woodland and MLK, and some of the features are a nod to the original park.
Sherman Hill used the funds to establish their Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) fund, which helped fund the installation of historic street lights (and is helping to fund the new park).
More information on the history of Chamberlain Park can be found in this document created by the Parks Department. (Many of the historical images and information here comes from this work.)
Previous efforts to bring a park back to Sherman Hill
Since the time of the park sale, there have been numerous attempts to bring a park back to the neighborhood.
Despite many supporters, challenges always centered around funding, insurance coverage, and a site.
A new park: Mickle Center approaches Sherman Hill Association seeking a park partnership
In the spring of 2022, the Mickle Center reached out to the Sherman Hill Association to explore a partnership to build a park. This effort was part of a larger renovation project at the Mickle Center.
With this invitation, the Sherman Hill Association launched an initiative to explore installing a park at the Mickle Center. Key milestones included:
- Sept. 2022: Surveyed neighbors to gauge their interest and support of a neighborhood park (the results of which showed “a definite interest for a park that would be used on a regular basis.”
- Spring 2023: Established a park committee of Sherman Hill Association Board Members (Cale Johnson and Matt Warner-Blankenship) and neighborhood volunteers (Noah Brinkmeyer and Libby Nizzi).
- Evaluated a wide range of styles of park equipment and suppliers.
- Created a partnership model to provide equipment, insurance, and coverage for the park on the Mickle Center property.
- December 2023: Presented the findings and initial park plans to neighbors at Sherman Hill’s quarterly meeting to get input on equipment choices, materials, and location.
- March 2024: Received unanimous approval from the Sherman Hill Association Board to pursue the park. The board also committed $25,000 toward the project, which is about 25% of our total fundraising goal.
- March 2024: Received unanimous approval from the Mickle Center Board to pursue the park partnership.
Sherman Hill’s new park
Our new park will be located at the Mickle Center, on the northeast corner of their property. This location offers nice elevation, natural shade, and close proximity to a new patio space the Mickle Center team is installing.
Because this area isn’t particularly large, the Park Committee focused on playground equipment that maximized the space with multi-user pieces – things lots of kids can play on at the same time. The equipment’s muted aesthetics will also complement the historic neighborhood and the Mickle Center. As an added bonus, this equipment’s natural wood requires minimal maintenance and is very durable.
The playground will be installed by Crouch Recreation. To see their work using similar equipment, check out Lamson Woods State Park in Fairfield, Iowa.
Park funding and fundraising
In working with Crouch Recreation, we estimate needing $101,590 to purchase and install our playground equipment.
In addition to this one-time cost, we estimate ~$3,000 in annual operating costs to cover insurance and semi-annual replacement of base material (the soft stuff that helps keep users safe). The Sherman Hill Association will use SSMID funds to cover these annual expenses (similar to how the fund supports the maintenance and upkeep of historic streetlights).
Any additional funds we are able to raise will be used for park upkeep and long-term support of the park area.
On August 5, the Sherman Hill Association announced a major donation from the Myers Family Fund, and in honor of it, will name the park “Myers Park.”
| Funding source | Goal | Current Totals |
| Sherman Hill Association | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Donations (individual, corporate, etc.) | $25,000 – $50,000 | $26,518 |
| Grants | $25,000 – $50,000 | $0 |
| Totals | $100,000 – $125,000 | $51,518 |
Our park project in the news
We’re grateful to these news organizations for helping us raise awareness for our project. Check out their stories to learn more about this initiative.
Considering a significant contribution? Please reach out to cale.h.johnson@gmail.com to learn about recognition opportunities.