McFetridge Sports Center (a.k.a. California Park)
Park Description
Housing the Chicago Park District's only indoor ice rink and indoor tennis courts, McFetridge Sports Center (MSC) offers a unique sports experience for athletes of all ages and skill levels. Full of activity 18 hours a day, seven days a week, MSC welcomes more than 2,000 patrons each week for its year-round competitive and recreational ice skating, hockey and tennis programs, as well as special events. MSC is located on California Avenue between Addison Street and Irving Park Road, just west of the Chicago River.
Youth Programs at McFetridge Sports Center (MSC) are extremely popular with kids from the Chicago land area. We invite you to join the fun and check us out!
Features at McFetridge Sports Center within California Park include: fitness center overlooking ice rink -The State of Illinois' first wheelchair baseball field -NHL-size ice arena with seating for 1,200 spectators -Six tournament-quality indoor tennis courts -50-yard outdoor pool -Four outdoor tennis courts -Four outdoor basketball standards
Other indoor amenities include a tennis pro shop, ice skating rental, as well as locker rooms and showers. The sports center is fully accessible to people of all physical abilities, and the adjacent parking lot affords ample parking.
Please stop by or call McFetridge Sports Center at 773-478-2609 to get the most up-to-date information about programs and special events.
Program Registration Dates:Online registration is available for the following programs. Please note the dates for in-person registration.
Fall registration dates: please note new online registration for tennis
Tennis:
* Tennis lesson registration is only available online beginning Monday, August 11th. Classes begin September 11th.
Ice Hockey:
* Hockey Clinic registration is ½ online on Monday, August 11th and in-person beginning on Monday, August 18th from 5:00 – 8:00 pm
* Hockey teams’ registration is in person beginning Monday, August 18th from 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Figure Skating:
* Figure Skating registration (Tot – Beta) is in-person beginning on Tuesday, August 19th from 5:00 – 9:00 pm
* Figure Skating registration (Gamma – Freestyle levels) is in-person beginning on Wednesday, August 20 from 5:00 – 9:00 pm
General Public Skate:
The fees for Public (Open) Skate are as follows:
School Age (12 years & under): $4.00
Teens (13 – 17 years): $5.00
Adults (18 – 61 years): $5.00
Senior Citizens (62 years & up): $2.00
Skate Rental: $3.00
All fees are subject to change.
Dates: September 10 – December 21, 2008 and January 7 – June 20, 2009.
Special schedule during the holiday break December 22, 2008 – January 4, 2009.
Schedule out 1st week of December.
Wednesday & Friday, 3:30 – 5:00 pm (all ages)
Saturday & Sunday, 4:30 – 6:00 pm (all ages)
Wednesday, 9:15 – 10:30 pm (adults only)
Friday, 9:15 – 10:45 pm (teens & adults only)
No Skating – Friday, November 28, 2008 (Hockey tournament)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 (North region Speed Skating Competition)
April 22 – 26, 2009 (Annual Ice Show)
June 13 & 14, 2009 (School’s Out Competition)
Additional Skates: (All 12:00 – 1:30 pm): Monday, October 13, 2008 (Columbus Day)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 (Veteran’s Day)
Monday, January 19, 2009 (M.L. King, Jr Birthday)
Thursday, February 12, 2009 (Lincoln’s Birthday)
Monday, February, 16, 2009 (President’s Day)
Monday, March 2, 2009 (Casmir Pulaski Day)
Prices are the same.
Tennis:
Fall & Winter (September 2, 2008 – May 3, 2009) Court Fees: Monday – Friday, 7 am – 4 pm ($17.00 / hr)
Monday – Friday, 4 – 10 pm ($26.00 / hr)
Saturday 7 am – 7 pm & Sunday 7 am – 5pm ($26.00 / hr)
Saturday 7 pm – closing ($24.00 / hr)
Spring & Summer (Beginning May 4, 2009)
Court fees: Monday – Friday 7am – 5 pm ($17.00 / hr). Two (2) consecutive hours at this time is $24.00
Monday – Friday 5 pm – closing ($24.00 / hr)
Saturday & Sunday - all day ($17.00 / hr) Two (2) consecutive hours at this time is $24.00
McFetridge Sports Center Membership cards can be purchased for $10.00 from the business office. Cards are valid from September 2008 – August 2009.
BOOKING PROCEDURES & POLICY o Reservations taken up to 6 days in advance, beginning at 7 am in person or 8 am by phone. o Cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance. o Patrons are responsible for late cancels or no-shows. o Only 1 hour of play during prime time. o Lessons by non-staff pros are prohibited. o Limit of 6 balls allowed on court, unless machine is rented. o The non-resident (of Chicago) fee is double the Chicago resident fee.
History
California Park, which takes its name from adjacent California Avenue, is one of six parks created by the River Park District. Established in 1917, the district was one of 22 independent park systems consolidated into the Chicago Park District in 1934. Northwest Chicago residents formed the River Park District to provide recreational opportunities along the North Branch of the Chicago River and the North Shore Channel and to prevent commercial encroachments there. Soon after its formation, the park district began to purchase more than 13 acres south of Irving Park Road, between California Avenue and the North Shore Channel. Although land acquisition dragged on until 1931, development began in 1920, when Leesely Brothers prepared a landscape plan. Improvements were confined largely to plantings until 1927, when the River Park District began construction of an outdoor swimming pool that was, for a time, Illinois's largest. An athletic field, baseball diamonds, and playgrounds followed in 1928, as did a small brick fieldhouse designed by Chicago architect Clarence Hatzfeld.
In the 1970s, the Chicago Park District demolished the original fieldhouse and erected a new changing facility in its place. The park district also constructed an impressive new indoor sports complex, the first of its kind for the park district. The structure contains a year-round ice rink for figure skating and hockey, as well as six tennis courts. This facility was officially designated the McFetridge Sports Complex in 1974 for William L. McFetridge, who served as park district president in 1968, and as vice-president for the preceding 22 years.
