Tattnall Square Park’s beautiful entrances were long gone by the 1990s, leaving access to the park cut off at three unsightly entrances.  With funding from two Knight Neighborhood Challenge Grants and a generous donation to Friends of Tattnall Square Park, the College Hill Alliance partnered with FOTSP to restore the Northwest, East, and South gateways.   Each beautifully designed brick plaza is bordered by two brick monuments, a nod to the 1914-1918 park design, and the Northwest and South gateways are topped with local ceramicist Amy Hellis’s striking, hand-crafted magnolia finials.

Hellis explains, "The giant southern magnolia tree resonates with strong childhood memories. . . As Tattnall Square Park is teeming with these incredible 100 foot tall ancient beasts of the south, the magnolia pod was the obvious choice for the column finials as they represent the park's nobility, charm, and endurance.”  While magnolias don the South and Northwest gateways, a graceful arch tops the East “Old Federal Road” gateway—another nod to the 1914-1918 gateway designs.