Austin Town Hall
History
In 1865, businessman and real estate speculator Henry W. Austin created a lovely 280-acre subdivision in Cicero Township. Austin's development included wide, tree-lined streets and a small park, originally known as Holden Park. The township selected Austin as its seat of government, and in 1870 constructed a brick town hall building, with a cupola and eclectic details, in the center of Holden Park. In 1898, Austinites, having a majority on Cicero's town council, used political influence to allow the extension of the Lake Street elevated line into their community. This infuriated residents of other areas within Cicero Township, such as Oak Park and Berwyn, who retaliated the following year by holding a joint election to force Austin's annexation to the City of Chicago. Much to the dismay of local residents, this effort succeeded and Austin became part of Chicago in 1899. The city took over the Cicero Town Hall and began using it as a library and police station as well as for other public functions.
The city transferred Holden Park to the West Park Commission in 1927. Because the old town hall had housed a branch library for several years, the West Park Commissioners agreed to the construction of a new public library in the park, designed by architect Alfred S. Alschuler. At the same time, the West Park Commission also built a fieldhouse for the newly renamed Austin Town Hall Park. The large brick Georgian Revival-style building was influenced by Philadelphia's Independence Hall. The structure was designed by architects Michaelsen and Rognstad, who were also responsible for other notable buildings including the Garfield Park Gold Dome Building, the Humboldt and Douglas Park Fieldhouses, and the On Leong Chinese Merchant's Association Building in Chinatown. In 1934, Austin Town Hall Park became part of the Chicago Park District, when the city's 22 independent park commissions merged into a single citywide agency.
