Wrightwood Park

In 1907, the city's Special Park Commission began creating a municipal playground in the then-congested working class Lincoln Park neighborhood. Formerly a rubbish-filled clay pit, the property needed excavation and cleaning before it could be transformed into parkland. After filling and grading the site, the city installed a running track and playing field that could be flooded in winter for ice skating. The following year, a small frame fieldhouse and two small shelters were constructed; playground equipment installed; and trees, shrubs, and flowers planted. The city named the park for adjacent Wrightwood Avenue, which recognizes the four Chicago Wright brothers who developed the area in the mid 19th century. By 1910, more than 300,000 people used Wrightwood Park annually. In the fieldhouse, classes were offered to age groups ranging from kindergartners to adults. Activities included gymnastics, calisthenics, wrestling, dancing, games, raffia weaving, and sewing. The city organized baseball leagues played there in the summer. Boys from Wrightwood Park also participated in athletic meets at other city parks. In 1953, the park's original buildings were replaced by a modern fieldhouse. Six years later, the city transferred Wrightwood Park to the Chicago Park District along with more than 250 other properties. The district constructed a swimming pool in the park in 1968.