This 12.9 acre park was created from an old gravel pit once owned by Bexar County and later given to the City of San Antonio. In 1920 it was named Roosevelt Park for President Theodore Roosevelt, and in 1928, the name was changed to Lambert Park, honoring the City’s much-admired Parks Commissioner, Ray Lambert. The name Roosevelt was then given to old Riverside Park, which had been purchased by the City from private owners.
Roosevelt/Lambert Park was developed by the City to serve the surrounding residential neighborhoods. In the 1920s, a branch library was constructed just across the street and a swimming pool and tennis courts were built in the park. At the urging of a group called the SouthSide Improvement League, swings and benches were added to the park. By the middle 1940s, Lambert Park had been re-named Roosevelt Park, and the park and golf course to the south were once more called Riverside.