Ginkgo Playlot Park
History
The Chicago Park District purchased this once-vacant lot in 1969, with the help of funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Officially designated Gingko Park in 1974, the playlot was one of a number of parks named for trees and plants at this time. The gingko is a deciduous tree with unusual broad, fan-shaped, heavily-veined leaves that turn from pale green to bright yellow in the fall. Often called a living fossil, the gingko is the sole survivor of a primeval order of plants that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. Buddhist monks in ancient China apparently preserved the tree by cultivating it in their monastery gardens. Interestingly, the ancient tree has proved ideal for modern urban environments, tolerating the effects of pollution and poor-quality soil with relative ease.