Originally a gift of 297 acres from John Patterson (co-founder of the National Cash Register Company), Hills and Dales Park has seen a number of changes since it was originally designed between 1906 and 1918 by the famous Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm, renowned for their work on Central Park in New York City.

Patterson chose the location for the park for it’s distinctive character. It was some of the highest land near the city, which offered beautiful views and included tall, long and narrow ridges surrounded on all sides by woods. He had spent many summers in the Adirondack Mountains where he found renewed health could be gained in the woods. So he invited the Olmstead brothers, who were known for creating urban parks that preserved a rural atmosphere yet provided outdoor entertainment for visitors, to enhance the naturally beautiful site and create a park where his NCR employees could improve their health. The result was picturesque creeks, trails for riding and walking, sugar maples, wild flowers and the fragrance of honeysuckle, conveniently located at the end of the street car line.

In its early days, families were attracted to Hills and Dales Park for its welcome change from city living. Park goers could take a short ride from the city and be immersed in nature. They strolled walking paths on foot or horse. They picked blackberries, wild strawberries, May apples, walnuts and hickory nuts and ate them on the grounds. They lingered near wading pools and picnicked in Adirondack camps.

"If you ask us older ones, it was the best place ever," said Harriet Colvin, who lived in the Dayton area for more than 80 years. "It had the old Barn Club, horseback riding, the trails. They had stables and everything. It was just the place to come."

Since then, the original character of the site has been transformed by years of vegetation growth and the addition of new park features, including a Patterson memorial and a golf course in what was once a series of open meadows. Today’s Hills and Dales is actually in Kettering, bordered by Oakwood but is owned by the City of Dayton. Based on these diverse interests and a lack of resources to maintain the wooded portion of the park, the city of Dayton leased 63 acres of this wooded land to Five Rivers MetroParks in 1999. The land was declared Hills and Dales MetroPark shortly thereafter.

Under the management of MetroParks, security has been increased, and improvements have been made to some of the park’s infrastructure and aesthetics. They are currently working diligently on a revised master plan to bring the tract of park land back to its former glory. The plan, a wish list of sorts, is based on an original plan created in 1993 by the city of Dayton with a few refinements and additions. It includes a project list of what it would take to restore the vegetation and infrastructure to a condition resembling the park Patterson gifted to the community in the early 20th century. Not all the elements in the plan are likely to be executed, but projects will be prioritized and funded as resources are available.

The MetroParks’ master plan divides the park into 11 areas for concentrated renewal, three of which are have been included in the Phase 1 project, already in it’s final design stages, and slated to break ground in January. Phase 1 addresses the key areas of White Oak Camp, Paw Paw Camp and Dogwood Camp, and will have an extraordinary impact on the park’s amenities and accessibility, says project manager Joe Zimmerman.

The most dramatic changes will be at Dogwood Camp. “That area is now is pretty boring…just a broken up parking lot,” says Zimmerman. “When we’re finished, there will be a pond, waterfall, walkways and new shelter…similar to what is was like when the park was originally constructed. People will not recognize the place.”

White Oak Camp will receive improved walking paths, a playground, and new facilities such as restrooms and information stations all designed in the original Adirondack-style of the original park. Two shelters were also completed in 2004, in accordance with the master plan.

At Paw Paw Camp, renovations will be made to the reservable picnic area, including modern restrooms and a new shelter. Trails will also be added and improved, including a boardwalk through a restored spring-fed wetland between Dogwood and Paw Paw.

The planners, engineers and architects involved in the project have also chosen to incorporate sustainable design and materials wherever possible. For instance, the shelter roofs and boardwalk will be made of 100% recycled material. They have also designed park features to have minimal impact on the environment, in accordance with MetroParks conservation goals.

“Construction of the boardwalk at Paw Paw will be in a very confined area, using new methods designed to minimize the disruption of the existing terrain,” says Zimmerman.

Another key consideration in the master plan is vegetation restoration. This portion of the plan is designed to restore the park’s plant-life to the composition and layout approximating the original Olmstead design. In the years since the completion of the project, parts of the site have become overgrown by invasive weeds such as Chinese Honeysuckle, and Tree of Heaven. These plants have choked out some of the original plantings on the site, blocking some of the views incorporated in Olmstead's original design and disturbing pedestrian circulation through the park.

“The woods within Hills and Dales Park is an outstanding example of Ohio natural forest, for both its age and quality,” says Dave Nolin, MetroPark’s Director of Conservation, who has been working on the project for more than two years. “The Chinese Honeysuckle has really taken over though. If we can get in there and eradicate it, the woodland floor will come back to life.”

The master plan for Hills & Dales serves not only a project plan, but as a guide for development and stewardship of the park for current and future generations.