New Prairie Village Park, at site of old church, opens to an enthusiastic crowd
To the delight of a large crowd of residents, Prairie Village’s newest public space, Wassmer Park, opened Saturday at the site of the former Faith Lutheran Church at 67th Street and Roe Avenue in Prairie Village.
“I’m just so happy we were able to do this,” said former Prairie Village Mayor Laura Wassmer, for whom the park is named.
“It was really a culmination of a lot of talented people, primarily a very hard-working staff that pulled all of this together,” she said. “Public works employees were incredible and they really did the majority of the work on this, so the thanks goes to them
“It turned out more beautifully than any of us could have imagined and looks three times larger than any of us imagined. It’s just absolutely beautiful,” she added. “I’m feeling very grateful today.”
Wassmer was mayor for four years and a member of the City Council for 17 years. Prairie Village has a tradition of naming parks after former mayors. Wassmer’s term as mayor ended in January.
The park features a green space, a zip line, bocce ball court, a display garden, two park shelters and a restroom building. The display garden will be maintained by the Johnson County Extension Master Gardeners.
A historical marker commemorates Faith Lutheran Church, which stood on the site for more than 65 years. With a declining membership and the loss of a child-care tenant, the members voted in 2017 to sell the 3-acre property to the city of Prairie Village for $1.1 million.
“It’s very rare, I think, when a church decides to close, and there’s a proper way to do it and it takes time ... our congregation and members through Pastor Kreidler did it the right way, with the right thoughts and this outcome is fantastic, “ said Bob Lindeblad, who was the president of the congregation of Faith Lutheran Church, when the members voted to close the church and sell the property.
“The most exciting was all of the kids on the play equipment. Oh my gosh, it just brings vitality to the neighborhood outside,” said Lindeblad.
“We had a number of older members of Faith Lutheran here enjoying the day and they very much appreciated the historical maker recognizing Faith Lutheran’s previous 65 years on this site,” Lindeblad said.
The church, which opened its first building on the property in 1953, was demolished in the summer of 2018.
BBN Architects of Kansas City provided the design for the park, which also includes 37 parking spaces and restrooms.
Wassmer Park is the second new park to open in the city this year
In June, Meadowbrook Park — an 82-acre oasis with three lakes, green space, walking space and a clubhouse — opened at the site of the old Meadowbrook Country Club at 91st Street and Nall Avenue.
Meadowbrook Park is framed by residential development, including single family homes, twin villas, apartments and a senior living facility.