Bradley Park
History
In 1943, developers of the Jeffery Manor section of the South Deering neighborhood dedicated four acres on South Yates Avenue to the City of Chicago for use as a public park. For a time, the Bureau of Parks and Recreation maintained the park as an unimproved playfield. In 1958, however, the bureau drew up plans for a new playground with a small brick recreational building, and construction began. The following year, the city transferred the park to the Chicago Park District along with more than 250 other properties. The park district rebuilt the playground and installed new tennis courts in 1975.
For years, the site was known as Bensley Park for a nearby street. In 1989, at the request of the United Neighborhood Organization of Southeast Chicago, the park district renamed the site Bradley Park in honor of local resident and community activist Josephine Bradley. One of UNO's founders, Bradley worked closely with the organization to meet various needs in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood. Bradley secured use of the Luella School gym for after school youth programs. She helped her community deal with its flooding problems, and showed an active interest in the area's parks. Bradley also served as president of her parish outreach team.
