Humbert Park
History Humbert Park lies near the former Union Stock Yards, in the New City community area. The City of Chicago purchased the park site in 1916, intending to build a police station there. When those plans fell through, the City Bureau of Parks and Recreation took over, and the property became a playground. The city transferred the park to the Chicago Park District in 1959. Throughout most of its existence, the park was officially known as Lowe Playlot Park, after the street on which it lies. Neighbors, however, had for many years called the playground Humbert Park, in honor of a local World War II veteran, James A. Humbert (1924-1945). A Seaman First Class in the U.S. Navy, Humbert was killed in action in the Phillipines on January 10, 1945. The park district officially designated the site Humbert Park in 1999.