In the 1930s Stanford physicist Cornelis Bol, inventor of the high-intensity mercury vapor lamp, bought land in Barron Park that included a donkey pasture. His heirs later sold 4.75 acres to Barron Park residents for half the market value, and Bol Park opened in April 1974.
Its long lower meadow runs between Matadero Creek and a paved path, shaded by redwoods and oaks.