Dawn Perry
Willy Street spring
Today's image is titled Willy Street spring and was photographed by Dawn Perry.
This photo shows a sign and surrounding flora welcoming visitors to the Willy Street Park, a small neighborhood space located at the corner of Williamson and Brearly streets. Perry describes it as 'an urban oasis."
This park is owned and operated by a nonprofit organization. It was created in 1978 as part of a response to growing development pressures in the Marquette neighborhood. The creation of the park was briefly described by Rebeccah Kessel in a Sustainable Eating magazine article from the autumn of 2004:
It was once a gas station, bought out by Taco John's sometime in the 1970s. The neighborhood rose up in opposition and stoned Taco John's windows. Taco John's fixed the windows and returned with the intent to stay. The neighborhood responded with a vengeance, once again taking direct action. The corporate chain left, a local man bought the property, and he made it into a public park.
That donor was Dick Smith, who was also a co-founder of the Willy Street Fair. More details about the history of Willy Street Park are recounted by Kathryn Kingsbury in an April 2006 article in Madison Magazine.
There is a larger version of the photo in the gallery at right.
This is the latest entry of Madison Snaps: photos of Madison-area events and locations. The Isthmus group photo pool is the primary source for Madison Snaps, which are published here with the permission of individual contributors. If you are interested in having your photo eligible for Madison Snaps, please respond to the posting on the Flickr group page, or send a message. There is no compensation for Madison Snaps photos, which are © to the respective photographers.
