Built in 1935 by renowned architect Luis Barragan, the park signaled the start of Guadalajara’s most ritzy avenue (Vallarta), with its glamorous turn-of-the century Porfirian mansions, built mostly by foreigners welcomed into the country to invest in the burgeoning railroad, oil and mining sectors.
As the city began its suburban expansion in the 1950s and 60s, Parque Revolucion’s status took on a different, slightly more hip, character. It became a hangout for a less conservative, younger crowd, and popular with same sex couples. The Guadalajara Reporter began its life in an office adjacent to the park, next to the city’s best-known jazz night club. 
A section of the park, which is split in two by Avenida Juarez, underwent a substantial redesign when it became the terminal hub of the second Tren Ligero underground subway line opened in 1994. Unfortunately, since then the park has deteriorated, much to the sadness of local Colonia Americana residents, who have constantly criticized the local government’s indifference regarding its maintenance. The Sunday Via RecreActiva car-free day that operates Sundays along the Vallarta-Juarez axis has given the park a new lease of life – at least for one day a week. Groups hang out in the space for a myriad of activities, including yoga, tightrope walking, art classes, among others. The park has also become a favorite starting point for anti-establishment protests and gathering place for student-led demonstrations.
After several failed renovation attempts at upgrading Parque Revolucion, a new project – supported by some locals and given a thumbs down by others – finally got off the ground in September of last year.
The project included construction of a new fountain (plus the restoration of the existing one), a children’s play area, new surfaces for walkways and the sidewalks, signposting, and the novel concept of “green” trellising covering the section of Avenida Juarez where it slices the park in two. (This final idea has since been dropped, project managers now say.)
The project was budgeted at 50 million pesos and divided into two parts, the first of which is nearing completion. (The second is projected for completion in November.)
Some neighbors, however, are unhappy at the work accomplished so far. They abhor the felling of trees to make way for the play area, and say there is more concrete in the park than ever before. They also wonder if authorities will keep their word and install lighting as promised.
Colonia Americana neighborhood association spokesman Sergio Morales said the project was done without the consent of most residents and that proposals the local group submitted were ignored by municipal authorities. He also disputed the assertion that the city council had gotten the final approval of the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH) to carry out work in a park with such an important historical legacy.
In addition, Morales said the company hired to perform the renovation has cut corners and the final outcome is little more than “an ugly extravagance.”