Hornbeam Playlot Park
History
The Chicago Park District purchased this once-vacant lot in 1970, officially designating it Hornbeam Park in 1974. The playlot was one of a number of parks named for trees and plants at this time. The American hornbeam is a small deciduous tree also known as the blue-beech, the musclewood, and the ironwood. North American pioneers favored American hornbeams for carving bowls, dishes, and tool handles because their hard, heavy wood is not prone to splitting. Today hornbeam wood is most often used to manufacture piano striking hammers. The name hornbeam itself recognizes the tree's strength: in old English, "horn" means tough, while "beam" means tree.
