Horner Park
At nearly 55 acres, Horner Park is one of the largest parks on the North Side and boasts nine softball fields, three senior baseball diamonds with night baseball on two diamonds, two football/soccer fields, four outdoor basketball standards, five tennis courts, a playground, a relaxing nature area and 13 picnic groves.
The park, located at the major intersection of Montrose and California Avenues, plays a prominent role in its Irving Park neighborhood. Horner Park hosts a number of holiday and seasonal special events, including an annual pumpkin patch, movies/concerts in the park, their popular Doggie Egg Hunt along with various public community meetings.The park offers programming to meet every possible age group, interest and need.
Area youth and teens play sports, such as basketball, football, volleyball, softball, track & field and floor hockey.Youth also participate in recreational tumbling and gymnastics. Preschoolers get started as early as age three, building skills in tumbling and tap & ballet.The park offers traditional early childhood recreation classes—preschool; playschool; Moms, Pops & Tots and playgroup. Adults join in athletics with basketball, volleyball and softball leagues.
On the cultural side, Horner Park offers woodcraft for all ages in its downstairs shop.Youth and teens choose from multi-cultural art, piano and guitar. For adults there are more specialized classes, such as tile mosaic, clay/hand building, open pottery studio and Horner Park Jazz Band.
Horner is one of the few parks to teach two levels of American Sign Language, plus offers programs for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community such as park kids and Friday Night teen club.
History of Horner Park
After 1900, Chicago’s northwest side Irving Park community developed quickly. Residential construction boomed, and industries soon located along the North Branch of the Chicago River. Among these was a brick manufacturer, which excavated its riverside property for brick-making clay. Some years later, the company abandoned the site, and the clay pits became a garbage dump. Because community organizations opposed this new use, the property was eventually down-zoned from its industrial designation.
In the spring of 1946, the Chicago Park District began acquiring the nearly 55-acre site as part of a ten-year, citywide plan to increase recreational opportunities throughout the city. In 1949, the park district began demolishing the brick kilns and industrial structures. Filling and grading were soon underway. By the early 1950s, the park had a large tobogganing hill, tennis courts, a playground, and a comfort station. A large, open meadow bordered with trees stretched across the southern section of the park. A fieldhouse was added in 1956. After adding handball courts in the 1970s and making various upgrades in the 1980s, the park district installed a large new soft surface playground with separate areas for tots, young children, and older children.
The park honors Henry Horner (1878-1940), Illinois’ first Jewish governor, who served from 1933 to 1940. A native Chicagoan, Horner was appointed attorney for the Cook County Board of Assessors in 1907, and was elected judge of the Cook County Probate Court seven years later. Having gained an early, solid reputation for integrity, he won increasing popularity with diverse segments of the community. This broad-based support propelled Horner to the governorship, and fostered acceptance of a state sales tax to fund much-needed welfare programs during the Depression. A red granite monument in the northwest corner of Horner Park depicts the former governor’s accomplishments. The art deco relief, carved by sculptor John David Brcin (b. 1899) in 1948, stood in Grant Park until 1956, when it was moved in time for the Horner Park fieldhouse dedication.
Ravenswood Manor Park
Located in the middle of the Ravenswood Manor community, the park is the crown jewel of the neighborhood! Over the years, the park has become the place for families and neighbors to gather.
Whether enjoying a summer concert in the park or just hanging out with the kids in the playground, the community embraces its gem of a park.
History
In 1913, New York real estate speculator William Harmon began developing the lovely Ravenswood Manor and Ravenswood Gardens neighborhoods. Residents soon voted to form their own park district, electing Mrs. Helen Meder the first president of its board. Although these were comfortable, middle-class neighborhoods, the Ravenswood Manor Gardens Park District had limited resources because its tax-base included only a 1/4-mile area. As a result, it created very small parks which emphasized landscape improvements, rather than recreational facilities. In 1915, the district acquired land for Ravenswood Manor Park, which was named for the surrounding community.
The triangular site, originally bisected by Eastwood Avenue, soon included trees, shrubs, benches, a trellis-like pergola, and a small stucco office building. The park district held its meetings in the building, and made it available for many other community purposes. Among the groups who met there was the Ravenswood Manor Gardens Community Club, which apparently encouraged attendance by passing out cigars at meetings. Boys' and girls' clubs, Red Cross volunteer groups, and other civic organizations also used the building.
In 1934, Ravenswood Manor Park became part of the newly-formed Chicago Park District’s portfolio when the 22 park districts were consolidated. Using federal relief funds, the Park District rehabilitated the park's landscape, planting hundreds of shrubs and an impressive perennial garden. The park office building was razed in 1956. Fifteen years later, playground equipment was installed in the park. In 1989, the City closed the bisecting stretch of Eastwood Avenue and the Park District sodded-over the street. Since that time, Ravenswood Manor Park has received numerous improvements including a major replanting, a soft surface playground, and a new pergola.
Sunken Gardens Park
Sunken Gardens Park is one of 46 park properties used only for passive recreation, is located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood (two blocks north of Montrose Avenue, and five blocks west of Western Avenue).
History
By an overwhelming majority, residents of the Ravenswood Manor and Ravenswood Gardens neighborhoods voted to create their own independent park district in 1914. Although these were comfortable, middle-class neighborhoods, the Ravenswood Manor Gardens Park District had limited resources because it could collect no more than 3% of the assessed property valuation within its 1/4-mile territory. The new park district could only afford to create very small parks which emphasized landscape improvements, rather than recreational facilities. In 1917, the Ravenswood Manor Gardens Park District acquired a parcel of land, just east of the North Branch of the Chicago River on Sunnyside Avenue. The following year, the site was transformed into a lovely garden with a central sunken lawn edged by a walk, three trellis-like pergolas, an ornamental fountain, urns, and lush shrubbery and floral plantings.
This soon became known as Sunken Gardens Park. In 1934, Sunken Gardens Park became part of the Chicago Park District’s portfolio, which formed through the consolidation of the City's 22 independent park agencies. Although the Park District planted more than 300 new shrubs in the late 1930s, Sunken Gardens Park soon suffered from deterioration and vandalism. Unfortunately, by the early 1950s, all of the original garden features had been removed. Today, Sunken Gardens Park is used for passive recreation.
Buffalo Park
Buffalo Park is one of many park properties used only for passive recreation. This small tranquil park is set in the beautiful Ravenswood Manor community at the conjunction of California, Sunnyside, and Manor. Buffalo Park was renovated with gardens and a council circle of sitting stones in 2009.
History
By an overwhelming majority, residents of the Ravenswood Manor and Ravenswood Gardens neighborhoods voted to create their own independent park district in 1914. Although these were comfortable, middle-class neighborhoods, the Ravenswood Manor Gardens Park District had limited financial resources because it could collect no more than 3% of the assessed property valuation within its 1/4-mile territory. The new park district could only afford to create very small parks, which emphasized landscape improvements, rather than recreational facilities. In 1915, the Ravenswood Manor Gardens Park District acquired the land and began creating a .07-acre park on a triangular property between Sunnyside and California Avenues and Manor Drive.
The following year, Charles J. Nilson, a local contractor and cement finisher was hired to create a fountain in the tiny new park. Because Nilson's circular fountain included three ornamental buffalo heads, the site soon became known as Buffalo Park. Buffalo Park became part of the Chicago Park District in 1934, when the Great Depression necessitated the consolidation of the City's 22 independent park agencies. In the late 1930s, Park District improvements included a fanciful perennial garden, which surrounded the fountain. Unfortunately, the fountain soon suffered from severe deterioration and by the early 1950s, both the fountain and garden had been removed.
Jacob Park
Located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood (two blocks south of Lawrence Avenue, and seven blocks west of Lincoln Avenue), Jacob Park is 0.89 acres and it features a playground with slides and swings, plus a sandbox for an afternoon of activities.
As part of the ChicagoPlays! playground renovation program the playlot received a new colorful playground. It's a great place for the kiddos and families to hang out and play!
While there is no structured programming taking place at this location, we invite you to check out our great programs offered at nearby Horner, River, and Welles Park.
History
In 1913, New York real estate developer William Harmon began subdividing property on both sides of the North Branch of the Chicago River to create the lovely Ravenswood Manor and Ravenswood Gardens neighborhoods. Residents soon voted to form their own park district, electing Mrs. Helen Meder the first president of its board. The new Ravenswood Manor Garden Park District was progressive -- electing a woman president, taking positions against river pollution, and stopping illegal dumping in vacant lots. However, the district had limited resources and could only afford to create very small parks. In 1915, the park district began slowly acquiring land for what became known as Jacob Park and continued to acquire land for the park until 1923. The board had hoped to construct a building in the park, however few improvements were made. For years, the park was little more than a vacant lot.
Although neighborhood children played baseball there, in 1928, the park board decided to sell the land. When the "for sale" sign went up, local residents protested, and the sign was quickly removed. Finally, in the early 1930s, the landscape was planted, and a sand box installed. In 1934, Jacob Park became part of the newly-formed Chicago Park District. Thirty years later, the Park District installed a substantial playground, which was updated in 1991. In 2014, the Park District expanded the park with CTA 0wned adjacent land.
Although long known as Jacob Park, the name may have resulted from a clerical mistake. It was originally listed as Virginia Park, but in the early 1930s, it became known by area residents as Jaeger Park in honor of Otto Jaeger a member of the Ravenswood Manor Garden Park District board from 1922 to 1934. As there is no record of the name change from Jaeger to Jacob Park, it seems likely a recording error was made during the administrative transfer to the Chicago Park District.
