Congrats to our athletes on an amazing Junior Bear football season!
Congrats to our athletes on an amazing Junior Bear football season!
Willye B. White Fieldhouse
Welcome to Willye B. White Park!
Welcome to Willye B. White Park!
Welcome to Willye B. White Park!
Tiny Tot Soccer
Tiny Tot Soccer
Check out our fitness center!
Check out our fitness center!
Willye B. White Park Girl Tumblers
Tumbling Team.
Willye B. White Park Chicago Plays! playground
Check out the amazing Chicago Plays! playground
Chicago Plays playground at Willye B. White Park
We are lovin' the Chicago Plays! playground.
Location:

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626

Supervisor: Irma Rizzo
Phone Numbers: Main (773) 262-5051

 

Hours

Park Hours
Day Time slot Comment
Sunday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Monday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Tuesday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Wednesday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Thursday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Friday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Saturday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Fieldhouse Hours
Day Time slot Comment
Sunday Closed
Monday 9:00 am-9:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am-9:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am-9:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am-9:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am-9:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am-1:00 pm

Description

Located in the Rogers Park community, Willye B. White Park offers a wide variety of programming options within a 3.31-acre site which includes the Chicago Park District's newest fieldhouse.  Year round the park staff offers programs for patrons of all ages and skill levels.

For youth we have our Inner City Basketball & Baseball program, chess, arts & crafts, Might Fit Kidz fitness program, fencing, gymnastics and tumbling, and moms, pops and tots. For girls only we offer the Go Girls Go and Girls in the Game program. For those interested in music we offer guitar and drumming programs.

Adults can participate in a range of activities, including the affordable state-of-art fitness center and aerobic classes, plus senior stretching! In addition to these programs, Willye B. White Park hosts fun special events for the whole family. Check in with the park staff on a regular basis to see what's going on at the park.

For a complete listing of programs offered at Willye B. White Park go to the program page of our website. We invite you to take a tour of the facility and check out the new fitness center, gymnasium and club room! It's a great space to hold your next special event.

History

Just after World War II, the Rogers Park Kiwanis Club urged the City of Chicago to establish a playground in their neighborhood.  In 1949, the City used Playground Bond funds to purchase land along Ashland Avenue for park development.  Initially known as Ashland Playground, the site soon had playground equipment, a sand box, and a brick shelter house.  In winter, park patrons could ice skate on the flooded lawn.  In 1951, the City Council officially named the site Kiwanis Park, in recognition of the service club’s efforts.  In 1957, the City of Chicago transferred the park to the Chicago Park District pursuant to the Chicago Park and City Exchange of Functions Act. 

The park lies across Ashland Avenue from the Stephen F. Gale Elementary School.  In 1998, the park and the neighborhood schoolyard were jointly operated by the Park District and the Chicago Board of Education.  The Park District officially renamed the site Gale School Park the following year.  During 2000, the adjacent park and school properties were extensively improved, and a portion of Ashland Avenue closed, creating a single, unified campus park.  The Board of Ed and the Public Building Commission transferred property in 2003 and 2004 to the Park District to expand the park footprint. In 2008, the Chicago Park District constructed a new field house in Gale School Park and renamed the entire site in honor of five-time Olympian Willye B. White.

Born on Dec. 31, 1939 in Money, Mississippi, Willye B. White was raised by her grandparents in Greenwood, Mississippi. She picked cotton to help support her family but also found time to participate in sports. As a 16-year-old high school sophomore, Willye spent summers training with famed track and field coach Ed Temple at Tennessee State University and soon won a silver medal in the long jump at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. This marked the first time an American woman had won a medal in that event. She went on compete in the next four more consecutive Olympic Games.

After moving to Chicago in 1960, she began a career as a practical nurse and went on to become a public health administrator. In 1991, she founded the Willye White Foundation to help children develop self-esteem and encourage them to become productive citizens. That same year, she began working for the Chicago Park District as Director of Recreation Services, developing important programs such as sports initiatives for young girls in housing projects, the Great American Workout at Buckingham Fountain, a football camp at Soldier Field for boys and girls, and a program to recognize outstanding female athletes in 66 City High Schools.

Throughout her life, Willye B. White received much recognition and many honors. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, honored her humanitarian efforts—selecting her as the first American winner of the Pierre de Coubertin International Fair Play Award. Her impressive list of awards includes the President’s Council on Health and Physical Fitness National Honor Award and the Women’s Sports Foundation Wilma Rudolph Courage Award. She was entered on numerous distinguished lists of athletes including the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Sports Illustrated for Women 100 Greatest Athletes of the Century, and Ebony Magazine named Willye B. White one of the nation’s 10 Greatest Female Athletes.

Advisory Council

Contact: Eva McCann,   President
Phone: (773) 338-5809
Meeting Details:

3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm

Out of an abundance of caution Park Advisory Council Meetings will be held virtually for the near future. Please contact the Willye B. White PAC for details.

Parking/Directions

For directions using public transportation visit www.transitchicago.com.

Map & Facilities

White Clubroom

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

White Baseball Field

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

White (Willye B.) Park - Fieldhouse

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

White Fitness Center

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

White Gymnasium

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

White Playground

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

default image
White Clubroom

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

Show on Map
default image
White Baseball Field

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

Show on Map
default image
White (Willye B.) Park - Fieldhouse

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

Show on Map
White Fitness Center
White Fitness Center

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

Show on Map
default image
White Gymnasium

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

Show on Map
White Playground
White Playground

1610 W. Howard
Chicago, IL 60626
United States

Show on Map