Archer (William Beatty) Park
Located in the Archer Heights Community Area, Archer Park totals 14.06 acres and features a gymnasium and kitchen. Outside, the park offers an interactive water spray feature, baseball fields, a basketball court, an athletic field for football and soccer, and a playground.
Park-goers can play baseball, football and soccer sports 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, Archer Park hosts fun special events throughout the year for the whole family, such as Movies In the Park.
Archer Park takes its name from the surrounding Archer Heights community. The community and its main artery, Archer Avenue, are named for Col. William Beatty Archer (1793-1870), a Commissioner for the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which paralleled the road in the 1800s. Archer, an abolitionist as well as a civil engineer, nominated Abraham Lincoln for Vice President in 1856. The Chicago Park District acquired land from 1949-1950 and established Archer Park to provide green space in an area then experiencing significant industrial development. The new park was part of a ten-year, district-wide program to increase recreational opportunities in underserved neighborhoods in post-World War II Chicago. Archer Park provided solely outdoor recreational facilities until 1970, when the Park District constructed a small fieldhouse.
For directions using public transportation visit www.transitchicago.com.
Facilities at Archer (William Beatty) Park
Programs at Archer (William Beatty) Park
Each Thursday from 5pm to 6pm
Each Wednesday from 3:30pm to 5pm
Except the following dates:
Wednesday, Feb 11, 2026
Each Saturday from 10am to 11am
Each Wednesday from 2pm to 3pm
Each Saturday from 11am to 12pm
Each Friday from 1pm to 2pm
Each Tuesday,Friday from 6:15pm to 7pm
Each Friday from 4:30pm to 6pm
Each Friday from 4pm to 5:15pm
Each Tuesday from 5pm to 6pm