Cornelis BOL Park

Location:  3590 Laguna Avenue, between Barron and Matadero avenues

Description:  13.8 acre park in the Barron Park neighborhood.  Long, narrow, lower meadow is bordered on one side by Matadero Creek, a paved path on the other. Redwoods and oaks provide perimeter shade.  At the corner of Matadero and Laguna, a Native Plant Garden is a work in progress. Upper meadow remains undeveloped as per neighbors’ wishes.

Amenities: bicycle/jogging/walking path, footpath, children’s playground, benches

History note: A “donkey pasture” became a park when Cornelis Bol’s heirs sold to Barron Park residents 4.75 acres of family property for $65,000, half the market value.  Bol was a native of Holland; a Stanford physicist and research associate; the inventor of the high-intensity mercury vapor lamp; and, along with his wife, the operator of the Barron Park Water Company for eleven years.

Of special interest: Adjacent to Bol Park in a private corral are Perry and Niner, two donkeys who visit the park on Sundays and special occasions.