It's Cook Park — no 'e' at the end

John Cook arrived here in 1854 and became a central figure in the early days of Rochester commerce — so much so that after his death, his legacy was commemorated with the naming of a park in his honor.

That park today is Cooke Park — and if you are wondering if we are making a typo, we are not. It turns out the city has been incorrectly spelling the name of the park for the past half century.

Next Tuesday, the Park Board will take the first step toward remedying that error. The requested name change comes in response to decades-old documents dug up by Rochester resident Sean Kettelkamp that clearly show Cooke Park was originally named “John R. Cook Park.”

“We look forward to resolving this error and properly representing the original intended name,” said Paul Widman, director of Rochester Parks and Recreation, in a news release sent out by the city.

The added “e” appears to have first been included in a 1967 book from the City of Rochester. From there, the incorrect spelling was perpetuated by the changing of park signage.

Following the Park Board’s discussion next week, there will be a public hearing on the name change at the April 7 meeting.

In addition to being a prominent merchant, the documents show that John Cook’s heirs also donated a portion of the land for the park.

Cover image: 1951 document from the city showing the correct spelling of Cook