Corn Palace Park opens in Sunnyvale at historic site of former farm

Sunnyvale’s 27th public park opened last week at the site of the Corn Palace, a family-owned farm that had operated for more than half a century before closing in 2015.

Located just to the west of Lawrence Expressway at Lilly Lane and White Oak Street, the 2-acre Corn Palace Park is now available for use.

In 2019, Sunnyvale bought the land needed for the public park, which is situated alongside a new development of 58 single-family homes by Trumark Homes. That project has since been completed.

Construction for Corn Palace Park began in December 2024.

The farm, which produced corn along with other fruits and vegetables, was owned and operated by brothers Ben and Joe Francia starting in the 1920s. Despite the area’s urbanization throughout the latter half of the 20th century, the brothers had no intentions of selling their high-value land to developers, according to a Metro article from 1999. Joe Francia died in 2007 and Ben Francia died in 2013.

Members of the Francia family were present at the park’s grand opening on Friday.

“We are fortunate to have many fond memories of this land and what it did for our families and community,” said Ben Francia’s grandson, Gabriel Francia. “We are excited that the Corn Palace will be a place for you to build new memories of your own. On behalf of the entire Francia family, we thank you for honoring the Corn Palace landmark’s continuous legacy through Corn Palace Park.”

Aspects of the park are designed to reflect the farm’s history. One playground structure resembles a farm stand, complete with pictures of fruits and vegetables. A corn silo placed atop a playground slide displays the phrase “Valley of the Heart’s Delight” – a nod to the area’s agricultural history.

Park amenities include an open lawn area, playgrounds, a pollinator garden, a shade structure and picnic area, bench seating, seatwalls, shade trees, planters, fencing, and stormwater treatment areas. The city will soon be adding more benches to the park, as well as public art installations, city spokesperson Rachel Davis told this news organization.

Mayor Larry Klein called the park a place “where the kernels of our community come together in something truly a-maze-ing.”