Senka Park

5656 S. St. Louis Ave. Chicago IL 60629

Hours: Park: 6am - 11pm

Pool hours at Solorio Academy High School.: 5pm-9pm

Park Supervisor:
Valerie Lyons (Solorio Academy H.S.)

(312) 747-4386

Description

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SPRING PROGRAMS:

Register online or in-person for spring programs now. Spring programs run the week of April 1 through the week of June 3.

SUMMER PROGRAMS:

Online registration for our park’s summer programs begins Monday, April 15 at 9 am, and in-person registration begins Monday, April 22. The standard 6-week summer camp program runs July 1 through August 9. Most other summer programs run the week of June 17 through the week of August 19.

FACILITIES

FACILITY TYPE	ADDRESS	QTY	NOTES
Baseball Field	5656 S. St. Louis Ave.	2
Basketball Court - Outdoor	5656 S. St. Louis Ave.	6
Concessions	Senka Park, 5656 S. Saint Louis Ave	1	Food & Beverage, 12pm - 8pm, 773.203.0981
Football / Soccer - Grass	5656 S. St. Louis Ave.	1
Playgrounds	5656 S. St. Louis Ave.	1
Swimming Pools - Indoor	5400 S. St. Louis Ave., at Solorio Academy High School	1	Pool closed after May 31. at Solorio Academy High School. Spring Post-Season Pool Schedule
Volleyball Courts- Outdoor	5656 S. St. Louis Ave.	2
Water Spray Features	5656 S. St. Louis Ave.	1

History

Edward "Duke" Senka, for whom this park is named, was a long-time park district employee. Senka rose from physical instructor to supervisor of recreation between 1941 and his death in 1983. The Chicago Park District created Senka Park in 1971 on an abandoned rail yard leased by the city from the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. When in 1990 the railroad announced plans to terminate the lease and sell the parkland for development, the community protested. Fortunately, the park district, with the help of the Trust for Public Land, successfully negotiated the purchase of the leased property, together with adjoining land, and tripled the park's size. The park district, the board of education, and the city have since pooled their resources to develop state-of-the-art recreational facilities at the site.