[1] In 1789, Joseph Kinney and Basil Prather purchased the land that became the park as adjoining estates from Robert Daniel.

John B. Castleman, a Confederate veteran and local real estate investor, owned the property from 1885 to 1894 and renamed it Castleford.

Ben Collings, a construction materials supplier specializing in concrete, purchased the property in 1937 and renamed it Colonial Farms.

In 1966, the city of Louisville paid Bellarmine approximately $600,000 ($5.63 million today[3]) for 68 acres (280,000 m2), including the mansion.

Determined to avoid another fire, Collings had the mansion built with thick concrete walls and floors and a copper and slate roof.