Location:
948 W. 51st
Chicago, IL 60609
Supervisor:
Elaine Spencer (Fuller Park)
Phone Numbers:
Main
(312) 747-6144
Hours
Park Hours
Description
Wagner Park is located in the New City Community. The park is 1.05 acres and it features a playground and water feature. It is an active community park.
While there is no structured programming taking place at this location, we invite you to check out our great programs offered at nearby Fuller Park.
History
Wagner Park was established by the City of Chicago, which began to purchase land for the park in 1949. By 1953, the City had acquired two non-contiguous properties along 51st Street. The Bureau of Parks and Recreation planned a lawn with walkways and plantings on the eastern parcel, and a playground, volley ball courts, and a shelter house on the western parcel. The City transferred Wagner Park and more than 200 other properties to the Chicago Park District in 1957 pursuant to the Chicago Park and City Exchange of Functions Act. In subsequent years, the Park District removed the shelter house, installed a new spray pool, and rehabilitated the playground. Unusual among Chicago's parks, the two Wagner Park properties remain separated by private property.
New City's Wagner Park pays tribute to 14th Ward Alderman Clarence P. Wagner (1904-1953), who died at the height of his career in 1953. Wagner, a 1925 graduate of DePaul University Law School, practiced law before entering the political arena. Wagner became an assistant Probate Court judge in 1935. He was elected to the City Council in 1943, and named Council Finance Committee Chairman in 1950. A powerful political force, he was sometimes called the city's "unofficial mayor." Just days before his fatal car accident, Wagner had temporarily blocked then County Clerk Richard J. Daley from ascending to the office of Cook County Democratic Chairman.
