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Fritz Park

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Park Address:1450 Pauline Blvd, Ann Arbor MI 48103​

Access          Am​​enities          His​​t​​ory

Hours and Rules

Open 6 a.m. - midnight with quiet hours starting at 10 p.m. Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules. Smoking is prohibited, and dogs must be on leash.

Overview​​​

Fritz Park is a 5-acre gem on Pauline, between Seventh Street and Stadium Boulevard. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas map for location context​. The park is a connector to the larger Eberwhite Woods and Eberwhite Nature Area and creates​ a pleasant walk through the woods. ​​Its ecosystem consists of mature oak-hickory woodland with an understory of diverse, native, ground flora. Near the middle of the park is a small mowed area with a playground. The park contains a play structure, picnic tables and grills. The play area in the middle of the park is surrounded by tall trees providing plenty of shade.

A total of 81 native plants have been recorded in the park. Flowers observed include black snakeroot, tall sunflower, May apple, white baneberry, bristly green brier, blue-stem goldenrod and woodland phlox. Shrubs found include maple-leaf arrowwood and red-osier dogwood and trees including ironwood, redbud and flowering dogwood.​​​

Access and ​Parking

There is street parking along Hewett Drive and Russell Road on the park's east side. There is a park entrance at the corner of Hewett and Russell​. There is also street parking on Northwood Street on the park's western side which has an entrance to the park.

The park can be reached on foot and bicycle by walking and riding on the surrounding​ streets. Pauline Boulevard has bike lanes and sidewalks. There are no bike racks at the park.

Public Transportation

There is a bus stop​ next​ to the park on Pauline Boulevard. ​Visit The Ride for closest stops and route details or check out the parks ride guide. ​​​

​Using a phone? - Click for a GPS Tracker and Wayfinding Map

picture picture

Amenities

  • Picnic tables and benches

  • Playground with structure and swings

  • Unpaved trail​, view trail map

  • Landfill receptacles (one near playground, one at Pauline entrance)​



Volunteer

There are many opportunities for volunteering and getting engaged with t​he Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Services Unit. GIVE 365 and the seasonal Adopt-a-Park Program​ offer volunteer opportunities with many​​​ levels​ of commitment. Natural Area P​reservation has volunteer opportunities to help protect and restore Ann Arbor’s natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic within the community.​​​​

Report a​ Problem - A2 Fix It

To report any maintenance issues or other problem during your park visit, please report through A2Fix It. Keep in mind that parks are large spaces and A2 Fix It requests can be hard​​ to find without detailed information. When reporting an issue in a park please include location details. There is a details and description section near the end of the request process to help you provide this. Users can also​ utilize the pin (website) or X (mobile app) feature to provide specific location information inside the park. Please consider including a wide angle photo, which helps staff find and fix the problem. ​​​​​​​​​​

Gifts an​d Donations 

Information on donating to the parks and the Guide to Giving can be found here. If you have a park improvement idea, a great place to start is through Adopt-a-Park and the​ ​proposing a special park project guide. For information on donating a tree through Adopt-a-Park, the tree donation guide can help you get started.​

History​​​

​Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknow​ledgement​ from the city and learn more about the early history of the land here​.​​​

The land that is now Fritz Park was given to the city to be u​​​sed as a public park in 1936. This land was given by  Elsa Fritz DeFries, Jessie Fritz and John E. Fritz, who named the park after Michael J. Fritz , their uncle.​ Michael J. Fritz served on the p​​ark commission for over ​20 years. The park had previously been known as the Ann Arbor Schutzenbund Park. I​t had been a historic meeting​ place for German-Americans. Read an article​ about the gift of the park from 1938, courtesy of the AADL. The park was in Ann Arbor Township until annexed by the City of Ann Arbor in 1948.​


Fritz Park as seen from the air (from the northwest) in 1952 (Source: AADL)

Read a Natural Area Preservation newsletter article about ​the many native species in the park:

2003 Park Focus: Fritz Park​ by Maggie Hostetler​
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Email [email protected]​a2gov.org for incorrect/outdated information.​