Jane Addams Memorial Park
History
Between 1914 and 1916, the city created a municipal pier and a neighboring park by filling in submerged land east of Lake Shore Drive and north of Grand Avenue. The new municipal pier was almost immediately pressed into service as a naval training site during World War I, and in 1927, the city renamed the structure Navy Pier in honor of the trainees. The adjacent park also took the new name. The Chicago Park District acquired Navy Pier Park in 1959. In 1996, the park district officially redesignated the park Jane Addams Memorial Park in honor of the world-renowned social reformer and Nobel Peace Prize winner. At the time asix-piece sculptural grouping by Louise Bourgeois, "Helping Hands,"was installed to honor Jane Addams(1860-1935). Unfortunately, the sculptures were severely vandalized and are currently in storage.
Jane Addams founded one of North America's first settlement houses, Chicago's Hull House, which provided much-needed social services and cultural opportunities to its near west side immigrant neighborhood. Addams also worked tirelessly to promote various legal reforms, including the first juvenile-court law and an eight-hour working day for women.