The new park, designed by Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, was commissioned after the Township identified a need for more recreational space.
Once known as one of York County’s earliest suburbs, Violet Hill in Spring Garden Township, Pa., is a name that won’t be forgotten.
Maps at the York County History Center show a 1930s-era neighborhood with a school, where many in the community attended first through sixth grades.
And while that school, which closed in 1973, is still a memory for many York County natives, the location has new life.
When Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects was commissioned to design Spring Garden Township’s new municipal building, including a new site for the police department, honoring the community’s history was always part of the vision.
The firm along with recreational planners, YSM of York, accomplished that with the newly opened Violet Hill Park, which launched its first season of play last summer.
Honoring the memory
Violet Hill Park is a new two-acre public park with a walking trail and walking oval surrounding a multi-purpose field. It includes basketball courts, a multi-age group playground, as well as a memorial plaque and covered pavilion constructed on the site of the former Violet Hill Elementary School.
That building later served as the Spring Garden Township Municipal building and Police Station until 2020. The need for additional recreation space was identified in a Recreation Study report commissioned by Spring Garden Township prior to this project.
During the design process, Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects worked with local resident Tom Stambaugh of the Violet Hill School Alumni group to preserve the decorative cornice from the original school building for use in memorial signage. It includes a laser etched plaque dedicated in memory of the school.
“Murphy & Dittenhafer recognizes the history and meaning of buildings, especially ones that have served a community for multiple generations,” says Architectural Designer Jonathan Taube. “While the building could not suit contemporary uses, the team sought ways to memorialize this significant building through the park.”
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