Leonard Road Acres
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Leonard Road Acres Park is a nearly 6-acre neighborhood park in the midst of the Leonard Road Acres neighborhood. It offers green space for open play and a playground for children. It is the perfect place to throw a frisbee or just relax and enjoy the sunshine with your favorite book!
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Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
In the 1960s, St. Joseph was expanding eastward. Shopping centers and housing developments appeared seemingly overnight. In 1961, prospective homeowners saw this ad in the newspaper: “Come on out this afternoon to Leonard Road Acres, where living is easy! You’ll see maintenance-free aluminum houses on spacious land-scaped lots, fronting on hard surfaced streets and served by city and gas and state-approved sewers.” Buyers were promised that for no down payment and monthly payments of $73.50 they could own a modern 3-bedroom ranch home. Leonard Road Acres promised all the benefits of modern suburban culture. That version of the American Dream included a park where children could play. For 60 years, Leonard Road Acres Park has provided a flexible greenspace for the community to enjoy.
Sources
St. Joseph News Press, Feb. 26, 1961.
St. Joseph News Press, March 26, 1961.
“The Growth of a Community,” St. Joseph News Press, Aug. 20, 1961.