When the village of Geddes joined the city in 1886, Major John P. Burnet, who owned a large farm on Tipperary Hill, donated a 100-acre (0.40 km2) hill top plot to Syracuse now known as Burnet Park for use as a city park.

The plans for the "extension" were drawn up by native Syracusian architect Charles Colson, who also designed Syracuse's new City Hall which opened in 1892.

The extensions' streets reportedly were named by a state worker from Binghamton.The subdivision offered 100 lots and advertised the close proximity of Burnet Park as one of the main amenities.

Some of the more popular animals include Asian elephants, Humboldt penguins, Amur tigers and African lions.

[2] In July 1935, the local newspaper reported that the George Washington Memorial Forest, which comprised several thousand evergreens along the southern border of Burnet Park at Grand Avenue, would afford nursery stock for park use over the years as the growth was thinned.

On windy days, a good place to fly a kite is the local Lover's Lane on the western edge of the park, atop a hill next to South Avery Avenue.

The picnic grounds located in Oak Grove on the northwest corner of the park were a good place for family get-together's.

A small snowplow would form a circle with tall snowbanks around the edge and park staff would use a fire hose to fill the pad with several inches of water.

The old rink at Burnet Park is still used for broomball and roller hockey in the summer months, but is closed to the general public.