Brands Park

Park Details

Main Address

3285 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
United States

  • Tel: (773) 478-2414 | Main
Park Supervisor
Irma Rizzo
Park Hours
Closed
| 6:00 am-11:00 pm

Brands Park

Description

Located at Elston and Henderson in the Avondale community, Brands Park totals 5.73 acres and features a large gymnasium and couple clubrooms. Outdoors, the park features an ADA accessible playground, tennis and ballfields.

Brands Park is known for their Early Childhood Recreation, Basketball, and after-school programs.

Young park-goers can participate in activities such as, Pre-Teen and Teen Club, Soccer and at the facility.  Brands Park offers summer fun, youth attend day camp, and enjoy the open green space and playground.

History

Brands Park bears the name of the German-American family that owned the site for many years. Formally established as a park in the 1920s, the property was used as a picnic grove for years before. The Brands grove had local notoriety as the site of many Clan-na-gael, Schwabenverein, and old settlers' picnics. Shortly after the 1917 with the formation of the River Park District, (one of 22 independent park commissions later consolidated into the Chicago Park District in 1934), residents of the Avondale neighborhood petitioned the new park board to purchase the Brands Picnic Grove site.  In 1925, the River Park District initiated acquisition of the property, but negotiations with the property owner proved difficult, and land acquisition was not completed until 1927.

Improvements began in 1928, following plans developed by the Chicago Landscape Company.  The new facilities included a playground; basketball, horseshoe, and tennis courts; and an athletic field that was flooded for ice-skating in winter. These recreational features were set in an attractive landscape of lawn and trees. The River Park District adapted an existing building on the site for fieldhouse purposes. Shortly after the Chicago Park District took over Brands Park in 1934; Chicago architect Clarence Hatzfeld enlarged and remodeled the fieldhouse to include club, game, and shower rooms; a workshop; and a community hall. In the mid-1970s, the park district demolished the old brick structure, which had deteriorated significantly. In its place, the district built a new, larger fieldhouse, redesigning the surrounding landscape. More recent improvements included rehabilitating the playground, tennis courts, and plantings.

Additional Information

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

Capital Projects

VIEW ALL PROJECTS

Programs at Brands Park

Most programs run from Monday, June 16 to Sunday, August 10 Online registration beings In-person registration begins
Day Camp at Brands
Camp
General Interest
At least 6 but less than 13
From June 23, 2025 to August 1, 2025
Each Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday from 9am to 3pm
Except the following dates:
Friday, Jul 4, 2025
$335.00
Extended Camp at Brands
Camp
General Interest
At least 6 but less than 13
From June 23, 2025 to August 1, 2025
Each Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday from 3pm to 5pm
Except the following dates:
Friday, Jul 4, 2025
$125.00
Family Club at Brands
Open
Clubs
1 and up
From June 20, 2025 to August 8, 2025
Each Friday from 5pm to 6:30pm
Except the following dates:
Friday, Jul 4, 2025
$0.00
Rec Leader in Training at Brands
Camp
Special Interest
At least 13 but less than 16
From June 23, 2025 to August 1, 2025
Each Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday from 9am to 3pm
Except the following dates:
Friday, Jul 4, 2025
$0.00

Events at Brands Park

4 Events