In May 1922, a committee was appointed by the Park Board to investigate the possibility of obtaining the land on East Third Street belonging to the Hill-Buskirk-Waldron estates for a city park. Mr. Charles Waldron wrote from Washington that he and his mother would be willing to turn over their part of the land to the city, providing the city would assume the indebtedness (about $5,000) and give the park a name honoring the three families. The Park Board agreed to buy the property in July 1922. Although the deed stipulated that the park should be named "The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park", the park was known as Third Street Park by the Bloomington community from the 1920s through the 2000s. On April 10, 2011, the park was officially "renamed" The Waldron, Hill and Buskirk Park in a celebratory ceremony.
The Allison-Jukebox Community Center, then known as the "Juke Box Teen Center," was built in 1938. Mr. William Adams and Mrs. B.F. Adams gave the Park Board $10,000 to build a swimming pool in the park in 1927. About $15,000 in additional bond funds were acquired, and the pool was constructed in 1928. The "Third Street Pool" was permanently closed in 1967.
An outdoor bandstand was built in 1938, and was demolished at the same time as the Third Street Pool, in 1967. A new band shell was built in the park in 1992, and an arched canopy was installed over the stage in 2002. A historic fountain from Rose Hill Cemetery was renovated and installed in the park in 1997.
The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department partnered with The Project School, IU Health Bloomington Hospital, and KaBOOM! to build a new playground with the help of more than 300 volunteers on May 20, 2011.
