Range Master Gardener Volunteer Association - Downtown Ironwood Pocket Park

Davis & Fehr Building Built 1890 and 1938 Snowstorm

Davis & Fehr Building Built 1890 Post Card and 1938 Snowstorm

Davis & Fehr Building-

10/24/1906 Dear Aunt: Received your letter will write you soon all's well, Your Niece Siva???

Davis & Fehr Bldg

This 1938 Photo was in my Mom's albums. She would have been 15 at the time.

Razing of the Davis & Fehr Building/S&L Building 1995

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Pocket Park's Early Days

Creating the Pocket Park

Joe DeCarlo
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Workbees

July 23, 2012

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June 21, 2012

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6-2-2012

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5-7-2012

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Downtown Ironwood Pocket Park

The Park is located at the intersection of Suffolk Street

and Aurora Street in the heart of downtown Ironwood,

on the site of the demolished Davis & Fehr Dry Goods(built

1890) and later the S&L Store.The building was demolished

in 1995.  The Pocket Park was the creation of the Downtown

Ironwood Development Authority and of Jerry Kinnunen, who

oversaw the creation of the park and who maintained it,

along with other Master Gardeners, until his untimely death

in 2004. 

Each of the entrances to the Downtown Ironwood Pocket

Park is through an inviting arch over a bricked path.

The arches provide trellises for clematis and other vines.

The park is currently maintained by members of the

Range Master Gardener Volunteer Association, who

weed and maintain the flower beds and lawn. The

cost of these plants and other associated costs of the

garden are paid for by the Downtown Ironwood

Development Authority( D.I.D.A)

The park provides an inviting downtown location for

people to use on their lunch breaks or tired shoppers

to have a place to sit and enjoy the flowers.  Many

wedding parties use the park for photographic sessions. 

Benches are located in the park for lounging and

contemplation. There is soft music piped in and a

small tinkling water fountain in the corner soothes the soul.

The exterior brick wall of the building to the north of the

site of the Pocket Park formed an attractive boundary. 

The weathered bricks, which had been hidden for almost

 a century between buildings, suggested the use of bricks

 in the walk and central plaza within the park. The wall is

 used as a backdrop for trellises supporting clematis

and a raised bed with perennials runs the length of it.

In September of 2011 Luppino's crew started fixing the

wall with concrete mixed with iron ore dust. Ruotsala

Construction had put in the central plaza years ago, so

they made the same type of sidewalks on both sides of

the plaza.  The sidewalks are beautiful and now safe

to walk on.

The plantings are varied and include spring bulbs,

annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.  

Winter at the Park

Chris sent beautiful pictures of the Pocket Park Winter 2011

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September 2011 Fixing of the Great Wall & Sidewalks

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7/25/2011 Workbee, Xmas Pics 2011 and Flowers

7-25-2012

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MG Jody helping out
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Helen Slining-the weeds don't have a chance!
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MG Zona and Crocosmia-why does she always have to look so cute!
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MG Vic-pruning the lilacs
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Connie
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The Pocket Park Wall September 2011

They are having a lot of fun digging out a rose bush. The new concrete pad for the flag will be installed on that spot

The Pocket Park was decorated for Christmas-2011

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Kind of cool for an unfocused and unsteady picture.

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2012-03-28

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Workbee 8-3-2011

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Flowers 2011

yellow peony-flowered tulips in May


Red primrose blooming in May 2011


Red primrose


Peony and geranium


Pink-red yarrow


Tulips, lady's mantle and shrubs flowering almond and forsythia

Work Bee 7/8/11

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The northeast corner of the park.


Pocket Park border along the Pines wall.

There are a lot of blooms this year in the park. The spring and early summer gave us plenty needed water for the plants.

Spring 2011

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Blossoming cherry and Forsythia tree

Spring at the Pocket Park

Spring

Spring blossoms

Flowering cherry with a yellow forsythia to the right

April 19, 2010

Weeping Crabapple

Weeping Crabapple

Master Gardener Dan

Master Gardener Dan, edging the lawn

Edging the lawn

Edging the lawn

Weeping Crabapple (Red Jade)

Beautiful spring day at the Pocket Park

Lynn, Robin and Kaye
Pocket Park work crew-Hartha snapping the picture.

2013-05-16

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The Pocket Park is Gorgeous this Spring 2013

2013-05-16

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December 12, 2012

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Planting Tulips and Daffodils

October 03, 2012

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Gogebic County Partnership Award 1998

Some 106 organizations were

involved in the 1998 Gogebic

Range Partnership Awards, and

the group deemed to be the top

"98 partnership was honored

Tuesday by representatives of

most of those groups.

The downtown Ironwood Pocket

Park effort was awarded the

grand prize, a certificate and a

scholarship in the project's name

to be awarded to a Gogebic Com-:

munity College.

Representatives of all 10 nominated

partnerships were on hand.

The award was given by Jim

Lorenson, representing the Gogebic

County Economic Development

Commission, It was presented

at a joint meeting of Kiwanis

and Rotary clubs at the

Ironwood Country Kitchen.

Other partners in the honored

effort included the Downtown

Ironwood Development Authority,

MSU Master Gardeners, 46th

Parallel Planters, City of Ironwood,

MSU UP District CropB Agent,

MSU Extension Service of  Gogebic County,

,Ironwood Daily Globe, Kiwanis Club,

 RotaryClub, NSP, Breanan

Communications,

Ironwood Business and

Professional Women, 69 local

businesses and individual volunteers.

Municipal League Award 1999

October  9, 1999 Ironwood Daily Globe

The Downtown Ironwood

Pocket Park

takes  top state award.

The City of Ironwood .this

week was awarded the Michigan

Municipal League's top award for 

"Improving Life for Youth.'and

Families."

The award, presented a the   

league's 101st annual convention  

in Grand Rapids, was for development

of the pocket park at the

corner of Suffolk and Aurora

streets.

"In 1993, a major building in

downtown Ironwood was demolished

leaving a gaping hole in the

streetscape," the. award statement

read.

"The Downtown Ironwood

Development Authority

took the initiative to turn the

ugly vacant lot into a park.

The DIDA purchased the lot

and prepared the site for development.

The community did the

rest," the statement continued.

"Volunteers pulled together and

raised the necessary funds, did

the physical labor and donated

materials to build a beautiful

downtown pocket park. What

was once a significant liability

was turned .into a major asset

with the cooperation, assistance

and enthusiasm of the entire

community:"

It is the second honor for the

park, which was completed early

 in 1998. The project received the

Gogebic Range Economic Development

Commission Partnership

Award in the fall of 1998.

Ironwood was among 11

Michigan communities honored

by the Michigan Municipal

League at  its 16th annual Michigan

 Municipal Achievement Banquet.

Dan finished the new arches for the Pocket Park

Fall 2012

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Pine Grosbeak in Crabapple tree

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