Adams (George & Adele) Park

Established in 1902, Adams Park bears the name of attorney and Congressman George Adams (1840-1917) and his wife Adele (Foster) Adams. The Adamses gave the City of Chicago use of 2/3s of an acre of property in their Lincoln Park neighborhood as parkland. Placed under the jurisdiction of the city's Special Park Commission, on which George Adams served, Adams Park had playground apparatus, a shelter house, and sand court as early as 1904. In 1910, the Adamses gave the city full ownership of the property. By 1916, the Special Park Commission had added a playing field that was flooded in winter for ice skating. The city transferred Adams Park to the Chicago Park District in 1959. In 1997, a new interactive waterplay area, named for retired school teacher Dorothy Melamerson, opened in Adams Park. Ms. Melamerson provided funding for the children's water feature through a bequest in her will.