Franklin Square (also known as Franklin Park) was Bloomington's first ever park. Bordered between the streets of McLean, Chestnut, Prairie and Walnut, it is conveniently located northeast of downtown. The park originated when a David Davis, William F. Flag and William H. Allin, gifted a monument to the city that no longer stands today. Originally the park was "used as a place of public resort, pastime and recreation for citizens and strangers forever". Today, the park has been updated with newer playground equipment for children, and a big grass area filled with walkways, picnic tables, and trees. Surrounding the park are famous historic houses that held famous residents such as former vice president Adlai E. Stevenson. Along the square, you can find signs that give you a bit of history about the park and each particular house.
History
Franklin Park was donated by the city's father's David Davis, William F. Flag and William H. Allin donated a monument in honor of the fallen soldiers of McLean County in the Civil War. The monument stood at 49 feet reading, "McLean County's Honored Sons; Fallen but never Forgotten", following a list of approximately 700 names of those who died while in service. Eventually the monument decayed and was no longer safe to have in the park. Later the monument was rebuilt and place in Miller Park.
Franklin Square was home to many famous Bloomington celebrities such as U.S. Vice president Adlai E. Stevenson and Governor Joseph Fifer and his daughter Florence Fifer Bohrer. Although not local residents, there were many of notable figures who visited the square such as Jennings, Bryan, Ulysses S. Grant, Roger Ingersoll, Carl Sandburg, Clarence Darrow, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Early view of Franklin Park
Houses
There are many historical houses that vary in architectural styles along the square such as Georgian Revival, Italianate, Colonial, Queen Anne, and Romanesque Revival. There are five houses that exemplify this:
- Burr House - The Burr house was built for Luman Burr in 1864. It is now a bed and breakfast.
- Dodson-Stevenson House - The Dodson-Stevenson house was built for William K. Dodson in 1869, but is more famous for it's second owner, former vice president Adlai E. Stevenson.
- Fifer-Bohrer House - Built in 1895, The Fifer-Boher house was built for former Illinois governor Joseph W. Fifer and his daughter Florence Fifer Boher. Florence was the first female senator of Illinois.
- McClure House - Built in 1906 for Marion Lee McClure, McClure desired a home similar to one he saw in Chicago, so he sought out architect George Miller to build it.
- Lillard House - The Lillard house was built in 1882. The first owner was, John T. Lillard, an attorney in Bloomington, and Sarah Davis, daughter of David Davis.
Burr House 
Dodson-Stevenson House
Fifer Bohrer House
Future Plans
Future plans for the park have been debated for many years now. Surrounding neighbors are torn between having new and safer playground equipment and keeping the "historic" look continuous throughout the neighborhood. In 2013, the city board presented three playground ideas to the public with mainly plastic and metal equipment, given options of 4,200 square feet, 5,200 square feet, and 7,200 square feet. Plans will not go into effect until it has the support of the neighborhood.
Ward 4 Council Woman, Judy Stearns, believes updating the park will attract younger families to the area. Its a good outlet for them and their children. She does believe that the park's history should be respected, but the obstacle is to meet the safety requirements while doing so. One of the reasons the metal slide was taken out was for safety reasons. The slide would get hot due to being made of metal and was more likely to rust. The board is open to different options.
Location
Here is a map of the general location of where you can find the houses, as well as the park.
