Welcome to McKinley Park!
Welcome to McKinley Park!
Fun on the playground!
Fun on the playground!
Historic natural areas at McKinley
Historic natural areas at McKinley
After school basketball at McKinley
After school basketball at McKinley
Winter ice skating fun at McKinley
Winter ice skating fun at McKinley
A beautiful place for a walk!
A beautiful place for a walk!
Nature fun at McKinley!
Nature fun at McKinley!
Location:

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609

Supervisor: Briana Soria
Phone Numbers: Main (312) 747-6527

 

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-8:00 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 8:00 am-4:00 pm

Description

Located in the McKinley Park community area, adjacent to Brighton Park and Back of the Yards, McKinley Park totals 71.75 acres and features a gymnasium, a gymnastics center, an auditorium and a club room. Outside, the park offers a swimming pool, artificial turf soccer field, baseball fields, basketball courts, an athletic field for football or soccer, a seasonal ice skating rink, a playground and a shallow kiddie pool with a slide. The playground was renovated in Fall 2014 as part of Mayor Emanuel’s Chicago Plays! Program. 

Many of these spaces are available for rentals and permits. Park-goers can play seasonal sports or go ice skating in the winter at the facility. After-school programs are offered throughout the school year, and in the summer youth attend the Park District’s popular six-week day camp.

In addition to programs, McKinley Park hosts fun special events throughout the year for the whole family, such as Halloween events and Movies in the Park.

History

In October of 1901, one month after the assassination of William McKinley, 25th President of the United States, the South Park Commission (SPC) officially named a new and still undeveloped park in his honor.

Experimental in its location and intent, this park proved to be nationally important. At the time, Chicago's existing parks were far away from the filthy, noisy, overcrowded tenement neighborhoods in the center of the City. Superintendent J. Frank Foster envisioned a new type of park that would provide social services as well as breathing spaces in these areas.

To test the idea, in 1901 the park commission began acquiring property near the Union Stockyards. Composed of open prairie and cabbage patches, the site had previously been the Brighton Park Race Track. The experimental McKinley Park originally offered ballfields, lawn tennis, swimming and wading lagoon, and a lovely classically-designed bathhouse.

More than 10,000 people attended the park's dedication on June 13, 1902. The effort was so successful that the following year the South Park Commission began creating a whole system of new neighborhood parks for the south side.  The South Park Commissioners acquired more land in 1905.  Opened to the public in 1905, the first ten were: Sherman, Ogden, Palmer, Bessemer, and Hamilton Parks, and Mark White, Russell, Davis, Armour, and Cornell Squares. These innovative neighborhood parks influenced the development of other parks throughout the United States.

McKinley Park received such intensive use, that in 1906, the SPC vacated Leavitt St. to complete the park’s expansion. The designers expanded the existing wading pool into a large naturalistic lagoon with several small wooded islands. They also introduced a children’s playground, a music court plaza, open-air gymnasiums, and the following decade, a field house.  In 1934, the park became part of the Chicago Park District’s portfolio when the 22 park districts were consolidated.

Advisory Council

Contact: Veronica O'Malley,   President
Meeting Details:

PAC meetings held every other month on the  2nd Monday at 6pm. Please contact the McKinley PAC for details.

Parking/Directions

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

Map & Facilities

McKinley Park - Rica Nieve Estilo Acapulco | Concessions

2210 W. Pershing Road
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
(773) 732-5863

McKinley Park Pool

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
(312)747-6527

McKinley Gymnastics Center

within McKinley Park Fieldhouse
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Picnic Grove

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Jospeh Donnersberger Memorial

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Playground

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Football/Soccer Field - Artificial Turf

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Tennis Courts

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Baseball Fields

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Water Playground

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

William McKinley Memorial

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Basketball Courts - Outdoor

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Natura Non Confundenda Est | Artwork

2210 West Pershing Road
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:

McKinley Path & Trails

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Gymnasium - Stage

1834 West 35th Street
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:

McKinley Clubroom

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Dog Friendly Area (DFA)

2230 W. Pershing Road
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
312-747-6527

McKinley Fieldhouse

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
312-747-6527

Mckinley Park Community Garden

2210 W Pershing Rd
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:

McKinley Fishing Area

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Football/Soccer Fields

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Football/Soccer Field - S

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Gymnasium

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

McKinley Ice Rink

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
(312) 747-5992

McKinley Natural Area

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

William McKinley Memorial
William McKinley Memorial

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
default image
McKinley Football/Soccer Field - S

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
Tree branches cut into wooden blocks and stuck back on to a tree giving the appearance that the tree is pixilating.
Natura Non Confundenda Est | Artwork

2210 West Pershing Road
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
Show on Map
McKinley Gymnastics Center

within McKinley Park Fieldhouse
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Park West Gymnasium
McKinley Gymnasium

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Gymnasium - Stage

1834 West 35th Street
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
Show on Map
Jospeh Donnersberger Memorial
Jospeh Donnersberger Memorial

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Ice Rink
McKinley Ice Rink

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
(312) 747-5992
Show on Map
default image
McKinley Dog Friendly Area (DFA)

2230 W. Pershing Road
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
312-747-6527
Show on Map
default image
McKinley Football/Soccer Field - Artificial Turf

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Natural Area
McKinley Natural Area

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
Mckinley Park Community Garden

2210 W Pershing Rd
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
Show on Map
McKinley Baseball Fields

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
default image
McKinley Park - Rica Nieve Estilo Acapulco | Concessions

2210 W. Pershing Road
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
(773) 732-5863
Show on Map
default image
McKinley Basketball Courts - Outdoor

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
default image
McKinley Park Pool

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
(312)747-6527
Show on Map
McKinley Path & Trails

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
default image
McKinley Picnic Grove

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Park Club Room
McKinley Clubroom

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Playground
McKinley Playground

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Fieldhouse

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

:
312-747-6527
Show on Map
default image
McKinley Tennis Courts

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Fishing Area

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
McKinley Water Playground

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map
Fire Pitch Courts
McKinley Football/Soccer Fields

2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Chicago, IL 60609
United States

Show on Map