Lake View Park: A place of many memories

Word spread quickly in May of 1906 when plans were announced to erect a ballroom and restaurant beside the body of water called Lakeview. It was to be called Pleasant Lake Park and construction started immediately.

The plan caught the attention of the Norfolk & Bristol Electric Rail Road which had added a Wrentham branch to its Mansfield-Norwood run. It would require just a short spur line -- 2,435 feet to be exact -- for them to carry passengers out to the new entertainment facility. This would be a major boost for the new entrepreneurs.

The proponents were Ross Bros. & Williams. The Ross family had been in the area many years and eventually took over the wool scouring plant at the outfall of the lake, known then as Carpenters Pond.

Construction of the new ballroom and restaurant was completed in just two months, with work continuing right up to the actual day of the opening, which had been set for July 4. By opening day, the name of the new facility had been changed. It would be called Lake View Park.

The spur line for the trolley cars could not be finished prior to the grand opening, but patrons didn't seem to mind walking the last leg of the journey. Many visited the area in the afternoon and more than 1,000 people visited the new park that day. An estimated 500 to 600 were present at any one time during the evening and it was estimated that 100 couples were dancing to the music of Slavin's Orchestra from Norwood.

The facility featured a 30 x 50-foot dining room, a dance hall 60 x 90 feet and a theatre measuring 25 x 35 feet, all in a lakeside setting including picnic and walking areas. The opening night was a grand success, leaving no doubt that the lakeside venue on Granite Street (it didn't become Lakeview Road until 1933) would be a major entertainment and recreation venue.

Their Wednesday opening was followed by a Thursday dance and another on Saturday, and several reservations were made for activities in the park. They were off and running.

More improvements

Building upon everything that had gone right their first year, Ross Bros. and Williams spared no effort in making their facilities "more commodious and attractive" as noted by the scribes of those times.

A promenade with roof and side coverings had been added to the large dance hall, 170 feet long and 10 feet wide with windows every 10 feet for the grandest of entrances. A new restaurant facilitated the original one to be made over into a kitchen. A rustic 50-foot bridge across the cove, pine trees and cedars planted along the shore of the lake and flower beds in front of the building accented the natural beauty of the area. All that remained was to build a concrete walk leading from the dance hall to the restaurant.

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Lake View Park: A place of many memories