Chicago's Ashburn community remained sparsely populated until the late 1940s, when industrial development on the southwest side and in nearby suburbs brought a surge of residential construction to the area. Ashburn's population increased an amazing 400% during the 1950s. In early 1957, a local civic group, the West Ridge Association, appeared before the Chicago Park District to advocate park development in their quickly-growing neighborhood. Before year's end, the park district used park improvement bond funds to acquire several city blocks between 83rd and 84th Streets. Additional acreage was provided by greening over the three city streets that ran through the park site. In 1959, the Engineering Department developed a site plan that included a playground, horseshoe courts, and an athletic field. Improvements followed shortly thereafter. In 1962, the site was named for Martin P. Durkin (1894--1955), president of the AFL Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, who lived near the park. Durkin served as President Eisenhower's first Secretary of Labor. Durkin Park's development coincided with the construction of Crerar Elementary School just to the west. From the beginning, the park and the adjacent school property have been jointly operated by the park district and the Chicago Board of Education. Though Crerar School closed for several years in the 1980s, the park district continued to use the school property with few interruptions, and the school building has since reopened as Linhart Elementary School. The school's gymnasium doubles as the Durkin Park fieldhouse during non-school hours.

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