Violet Playlot Park
History
The Chicago Park District purchased this once-vacant lot in 1970, with the help of funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Until the creation of this new park site, the nearest space for recreation was Garfield Park, some six blocks away, on the far side of the Eisenhower Expressway. Officially designated Violet Park in 1974, this was one of a number of parks named for trees and plants at this time. Like its relative the pansy, the tiny violet grows in a variety of colors: reddish-purple, blue, white, yellow, and gold. Napoleon Bonaparte gained the nickname "Corporal Violet" as his reign as emperor came to an end. Banished to the Island of Elba in 1914, he predicted he would "return with the violets." During his absence, Napoleon's followers identified one another by asking, "Do you like violets?" When Napoleon returned to France in late March, 1815, the violets were in fact in full bloom, and Napoleon laid violets on Empress Josephine's grave before being exiled to St. Helena.
