Beverly Park

Beverly Park lies in the western portion of the lovely Chicago community area from which it takes its name. The community's rugged, wooded hills are said to have reminded an early settler of the terrain around Beverly, Massachusetts. Perched above the rest of Chicago on a glacial ridge, Beverly was only sparsely settled until 1872, when the Rock Island Railroad established commuter service into the city. The railroad called its 91st Street station Beverly Hills, well before its better-known California counterpart got its name. Much open space remained in the westernmost part of Beverly until after World War II, when residential building surged. To meet the area's increasing recreational needs, the Chicago Park District acquired land for this new park in 1949 and completed the land acquisition in 1953. Park District landscape architect Bart Austin designed a plan for the 13.2-acre park in 1952. Austin placed intensive-use recreational activities such as playgrounds and tennis courts on either side of a long, open meadow designed for ball games and passive recreation. The long vista down the meadow frames a view of a church south of the park. In 1979, the park district dedicated one of the Beverly Park baseball diamonds in honor of John Wieczorek. When Wieczorek died at the early age of 23, he had already distinguished himself through his dedication to local youth. His efforts helped to ensure the success of the Beverly Park baseball program.