Quayle Playlot Park
History
Quayle Park is one of many small parks created by the city's Bureau of Parks and Recreation to meet increasing recreational demands in post-World War II Chicago. In 1950, the bureau purchased this property in the under-served Oakland community, where population had increased by 70% in ten years with the arrival of new African-American residents, many from the rural south. Since 1942, the vacant lot had been operated as a racially-integrated playground by Frank W. Quayle (--1957) and his wife Katherine, who lived around the corner from the park site. In 1952, the city officially named the park in Frank Quayle's honor, recognizing his sponsorship of "recreational activities for children of all races, creeds, and nationalities." An advertising salesman, Quayle organized trips to the Shriners' Circus and annual Christmas parties for neighborhood children.
The city transferred Quayle Park to the Chicago Park District in 1959, along with more than 250 other properties. During the early 1970s, the park district acquired two adjoining lots using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds, relocating the playground equipment and installing a new basketball court in the original portion of the park. A soft surface playground was added in 1992.