Three Generations of Park Stewards Build on Kirchhoff Park’s Century-Long Legacy

More than a century ago, a Valparaiso family gave the community land, $9,000, and an idea that would help shape the city for generations.

Today, three generations of Valpo Parks directors have carried those values forward.

Kirchhoff Park dates back to the beginning of the Valparaiso Parks system when, in 1917, the Kirchhoff family donated acreage and funding to create a place for the community to gather and play.

There have been just eight Valpo Parks directors in its history. I recently had the opportunity to walk the newly renovated Kirchhoff Park with three of them: John Seibert, Kevin Nuppnau, and current Director Tristan Leonhard.

What struck me most wasn’t the new equipment, walking paths, or even the gigantic 20-foot slide—which, yes, I absolutely had to go down.

It was the stewardship.

“We each inherited a great system and never forget our responsibility to not only preserve it, but to grow it, nurture it, and encourage and inspire the next generation of leaders to do the same,” Seibert said.

That philosophy has guided Valpo Parks through generations of change. Master plans, like Valpo for all Generations and today’s rePLAY initiative, were developed well in advance with extensive community input. The goal was never to create cookie-cutter parks, but to understand what residents needed and make each park a unique part of the larger system.

“It is not lost on any of us that we are each stewards of these parks,” Nuppnau said. “That trust is earned from the mayor, the council, the Valpo Parks and Foundation boards, and through generations of families.”

Now, Leonhard has been handed that responsibility.

“This work has always been a calling for me,” Leonhard said. “Seeing the community’s excitement at the ribbon cutting and watching kids explore all the new ways to play reminds me of why we do what we do. It’s a big responsibility, and I’m excited to be the one carrying it forward.” 

Kirchhoff has expanded three times over its history while retaining pieces of what made it special. Its bandshell hosted early, free community concerts. The field remains lighted, mature wooded areas surround the park, and Parkview Elementary School remains its longtime neighbor.

The latest renovation adds new gazebos, walking paths, improved accessibility and parking, a half-mile walking trail. and a completely unique combination of playground equipment. That includes a dedicated area for children ages 0-2 and the 20-foot slide—the tallest in the Valpo Parks system.

Standing on top of that tower before flying down the slide gave me a remarkable view.

Below were three Parks directors representing different eras, with their own families walking and playing in the park they helped steward.

All around them, I could imagine the memories still to come.

Kids learning to swing. Families gathering under the shelters. Baseball games beneath the lights. Little ones discovering their first playground as parents walk the trail, and grandparents watching another generation play.

The swings have changed. The playgrounds have changed. Valparaiso has grown.

Eight directors across more than a century have shared the same fundamental responsibility: inherit something valuable, protect what matters, listen to the community, and pass it along to the next steward.

Behind them are generations of board members, city leaders, Valpo Parks Foundation supporters, employees, volunteers and an army of “parks people” who understand what these places mean to Valpo.

That’s the legacy I saw at Kirchhoff Park.

Three generations of stewards standing together in a place entrusted to them by generations before, building it for generations they will never meet.