There’s still time before it turns cold to visit the city’s parks. Fortunately, most of them have reopened with appropriate rules for social distancing. This issue highlights sites with information about the Chicago Park District history and buildings.
CAC Articles
CAC has articles about six parks in its “Buildings of Chicago” database: http://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/buildings-of-chicago/
Search for “parks.” Entries cover Humboldt, Jackson, Maggie Daley, Millennium, Northerly Island, and Palmisano Parks, and The 606.
Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District (CPD) website has histories of parks and buildings in each park’s entry in the “Park Facilities” section. https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities. The page has a list of all parks and includes an easy search function.
Park History
Julia Bachrach, former CPD historian, has written extensively about the parks and its structures. Two informative articles include:
“Daniel H. Burnham and Chicago’s Parks”
https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/sites/default/files/images/page/burnham.pdf
“Chiago Parkitecture”
https://www.jbachrach.com/blog/2017/8/30/chicago-parkitecture
She also has been featured in a short video about the history of Chicago fieldhouses. Park fieldhouses are said to have originated in Chicago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ee6QNC5veo
Chicago Public Library Resources
The Chicago Public Library is home to an extensive archive on “Chicago Parks,” which can be found at https://cdm16818.contentdm.oclc.org/customizations/global/pages/parks.html. The archive include an extensive collection of photographs. Use the link for “Chicago Park District Records: Photographs” under “Digital Collections.”
Hardcopy Resources
Since many libraries have reopened, we’re also including two informative books about the parks even though they aren’t available online:
Julia Bachrach, The City in a Garden: A History of Chicago’s Parks, Second Edition. Chicago, 2012: Center for American Places at Columbia College Chicago (distributed by University of Chicago Press).
Krista August, Giants in the Park: A Guide to Portrait Statues in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Chicago, 2011: Lincoln Park Press.
Thanks for the resources, Leslie. Parks and outdoor spaces are certainly timely topics!