Fejervary Park & Zoo

Fejervary Park is a 75-acre park located at 1800 West 12th Street. On December 3, 1902, the home and 21-acre property were gifted by Celestine Fejervary (1848-1937), the daughter of Count Nicholas Fejervary (May 27, 1811-September 19, 1895) of Hungary, to the City of Davenport through a letter written on November 15, 1902 and presented to the City Council of Davenport. The gift was purchased for one dollar and approved immediately. It was made in affectionate remembrance of her father and shall always be used as a public park or “returned to her or her devisees or heirs if [it] cease[s] to be used for such purposes.” In 1903 the Parks Commission purchased two additional tracts of land surrounding the property from F. H. Griggs to increase the park to 40 acres. The initial plans for the park were to open it to the public in the spring of 1903 after restoring the home and enhancing the property to be a natural park.

Fejervary Park opened to the public on September 17, 1905 featuring a concert from Otto’s Band, Mrs. William Gruemmer of Walcott providing the catering, and rides to the park offered by the Tri-City Street, Railway Company. The Fejervary home was transformed into a beautiful pavilion by the Architects Claussen and Claussen. The addition of a zoo to the park added a feature for children’s entertainment. According to an article published in The Davenport Democrat and Leader, the zoo had “a herd of five buffaloes, two full grown elks and an elk calf, two reindeers, two burros, two eagles, four foxes, and eight Angora goats.” The zoo continued to grow as more animals were added such as a peacocks, ostriches, monkeys, bears, and many others. In June 1928, a new feature to the park opened called Monkey Island with 70 Rhesus macaques from Africa. It was a reproduction of the famous “Monkey Island” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Additionally, that year a new zoo was being developed north of Monkey Island which will feature more spaces for picnicking, parking, and benches.

In the 1920s and the 1970s additional land was added to the park which helped the Park Commission continue to develop this beloved park of the West End. Due to it age and poor condition, in 1934 November, the decision was made to demolish the “Fejervary Park Inn”, which was originally the home of Count Fejervary. At the time, there were not plans on replacing the inn or pavilion. In the early 1950s, the park added Mother Goose Land and Zoo. It featured figures from nursery rhymes and fairy tales. It was a popular addition to the park. 1980 began transition from Mother Goose to Fejervary Zoo.

On July 31, 1956, a swimming pool was opened at Fejeverary Park. In 1999, Aquatic Center opened. The Fejervary Learning Center was built and its ribbon cutting was held in May 2017.

The Fejervary Children's Center is located in scenic Fejervary Park, adjacent to Putnam Museum of Natural History on West 12th Street. The facility is owned and operated by the City of Davenport Parks and Recreation. The Children's Center continues a tradition established in 1927.