Seward (William) Park

Completed in 1908, Seward Park was one of the Lincoln Park Commission's first three neighborhood parks. Although the park commission was established in 1869 to manage Lincoln Park and its connecting boulevards, by the turn of the century administrators were concerned about the living conditions in densely-populated neighborhoods within their jurisdiction. Approval of a 1907 bond issue allowed the acquisition of land for Seward and Stanton Parks, along with improvements to Lake Shore Playground, which was already part of the Lincoln Park System. Prairie School architect Dwight H. Perkins designed the Seward Park fieldhouse. An advocate for playgrounds in congested districts and a leader in saving the forest preserves, Perkins served as architect to the Chicago Board of Education during the period in which he also worked for the Lincoln Park Commission. Perkins' fieldhouse included gymnasiums, shower baths, a reading room, club rooms, and an assembly hall equipped with a movable stage and an electric lantern with an attachment for educational moving pictures. The Lincoln Park Commissioners decided to name new parks after President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet members. William H. Seward (1801-1872) was the Secretary of State during Lincoln's administration.