420 Bross St - Thompson Park

Thompson Park was established in 1871 with land donated by philanthropist Elizabeth Rowell Thompson, who also founded the Chicago-Colorado Colony. Originally part of the town's initial design, the park was used for social gatherings, such as the town's first party and annual banquets, and was later rented for grazing cattle. The park is also known for its mature trees, which the community planted and cared for, and a commemorative gazebo installed in 2007 to honor this history. Those big old trees date back to the early days of the park, planted by the women of Longmont and watered with buckets hauled from St. Vrain Creek.

Parks like Thompson were multi-function as the town grew, and it’s needs along with it. Judge F.P. Secor rented Thompson Park for $14 a month to graze milk cows along with several of his neighbors, dating back to the 1890s.

The Longmont Coronet Band, associated with a local Boy Scout troop, would play in the parks every summer, in the bandshell that was eventually torn down in 1969. The band got particularly famous for playing a concert atop Longs Peak. The playground area, renovated in 2024, is located where the bandshell once stood.

The Thompson Tempietto on the south side of the park is a gazebo designed by Mario Echevarria. It was dedicated in 2007, featuring ceramic panels that tell the history of the park and the "Old Town" neighborhood.

The Longmont Symphony Orchestra and Chorale hosted July 4th festivities in the park for decades.

Photo:

Dedication plaque to Elizabeth Thompson located near the playground.

For more on the parks of Longmont, see Paula Fitgerald's "Stories of our Longomnt Parks" for purchase. It can also be checked out at the Longmont Library.

Today there are over 180 trees in this park, representing 74 different species and varieties. For more on the numbers on the trees in Thompson Park, indicating each species, and the Longmont Tree Tour in general, click here.