Park Renamed in Honor of City Official

McManus Park in east Culver City has been renamed Syd Kronenthal Park in honor of the longtime director of the Department of Human Services.

“Syd has devoted his life to our city,” said Councilman Paul A. Jacobs, who presided over the park rededication ceremony last week in what was his last official function before passing the mayor’s duties to James Boulgarides. “It’s very appropriate that this park should be named after him,” Jacobs said.

Kronenthal came to the department in 1945 just out of the Army Air Force. He has held the director’s post since 1953.

Kronenthal played a key role in carving out and preserving parkland for the city, which has 16 parks, Jacobs said. One of those parks was McManus, which was funded by a bond measure passed by voters in the late 1940s.

Kronenthal Park is scheduled to reopen in early July after a $2-million renovation project that began in September.

The 6.7-acre park will contain two softball fields, an outdoor basketball court and a 3,800-square-foot building with offices for the park’s staff. The building will also house a child-care program to be run with the help of parent volunteers, as well as a multipurpose room for community meetings and indoor recreation.

Research into the history of the naming of McManus Park found no significance. McManus Avenue, which dead-ends into the park, was probably named by developers in 1922 and its significance has been forgotten, said Mark Zierten, senior administrative analyst for the department.