Harris (Ryan) Memorial Park
History
In 1999, the Chicago Park District named this three-acre greenspace in the heart of the Englewood neighborhood in honor of Ryan Harris, an eleven-year-old resident who was tragically murdered. For more than 100 years, the site had been known as Normal Park, for the Cook County Normal School, a teachers' training school established in the Englewood area in 1868. When Chicago annexed Englewood in 1889 as part of the Town of Lake, the parkland became city property. After 1905, the city's Special Park Commission replanted the site with trees, shrubs, and grass. The local Neighborhood Improvement Association heralded improvements here and at neighboring 72nd Street Park (now Lily Gardens) with a festive program of speeches and music in 1908. By 1916, the park had white enamel drinking fountains and an extensive sprinkler system. The Bureau of Parks and Recreation assumed management of the park shortly thereafter, adding flower beds and tennis courts. The city transferred Normal Park to the Chicago Park District in 1959.
