The wholesaler and city magistrate Johann Maria Heerdegen was the first patron of the park; many others followed him. In addition to the Heerdegen house, he also donated money for an umbrella pavilion in 1840. Architect Georg Erhart Saher drew up extravagant plans for this and called them "mushrooms". Five hand-sketched alternatives adorn the winning design, which was specially drawn with a ruler. These umbrellas, intended as shelters and affectionately known in Franconian as "Regenschärmla", were reproduced in a modern design for the 1994 State Horticultural Show.
Incidentally, the architect Saher did not have “umbrellas” in mind at the time, but parasols that provided shade. Although a little difficult to decipher, he makes the following note on his plan drawing: "Unless roofs of derley mushrooms are laid as low as possible, they afford no shade, so it should not be higher than 7 feet from the ground..."