The park known as Reliance Triangle Park, or popularly as "the bulldog park," is a small, triangular green space in Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood, situated at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue, Fairmount Avenue, and 25th Street.

In the 1880’s, during Philadelphia’s heavy manufacturing era, 25 houses were situated on this plot of land (see blue triangle on map to the left). These houses were surrounded by railroad tracks (now Pennsylvania Ave) and heavy manufacturing. Across the street, where the museum now stands, was a reservoir that was filled in and redeveloped in the 1920’s.

The formation of the park dates back to 1900 when Mayor Ashbridge, selected the area to be a park, but it wasn’t until 1925 until the City officially acquired the land, leveled the houses and placed the area under the care of the Commissioners or Fairmount Park.  While digging, we often find bricks and rubble from this era.

Photos from 1949 show a number of mature trees had grown on this site, but no formal park infrastructure and walkways. In the late 1980s, the park was more formally created in its present from with financial assistance from Reliance Standard Life Insurance and the Fairmount Park Commission.

The park's original landscape design called for an Italianate fountain that was to be relocated to the site from Kelly Drive. However, the historic fountain split in two during the process of removal, leaving the new park without a focal point. See the Statue tab for more on the Bulldog statue itself

Since the 1980’s, this park has been lovingly tended by a series of volunteer groups. The current group, under the auspicious of the “Friends of Bulldog Park” dates from 2019, and would love to have additional volunteers to help care for this green space.