Elston Playlot Park (c/o Brands Park)
History
As World War II drew to a close, the city began creating many new playgrounds and playlots to serve Chicago's growing population of young children. By 1950, the Bureau of Parks and Recreation had created a 1/3-acre playlot on land leased from the Board of Education in the Avondale neighborhood. As the bureau's practice was then to name parks for adjacent streets, the site became known as Elston Park. The street name honors Daniel Elston, a merchant, banker, and real estate speculator who was elected as alderman in 1837, when Chicago had only six wards.
The Chicago Park District assumed management of Elston Park in 1959, and the Board of Education formally transferred ownership in 1991. Park district improvements made the following year include a new soft surface playground.
