Hermitage Park

Hermitage Park is one of many city parks created to meet the growing recreational demands of post-World War II Chicago. Established by the Bureau of Parks and Recreation in 1949, by the following year the four-acre site had playground equipment, a shelter house, and an athletic field. In 1957, the City transferred the West Englewood community park to the Chicago Park District pursuant to the Chicago Park and City Exchange of Functions Act. Installing a new spray pool in 1966, the Park District made subsequent improvements over the years, including a 1991 soft surface playground.  At one time, Chicago had two properties named Hermitage Park. The other one, located on Hermitage Avenue in Chicago's North Center community, was renamed Helen Zatterberg Park in 2004. Hermitage Park's name pays tribute to the nation's seventh president, Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), whose Nashville, Tennessee estate is known as "The Hermitage."  Chicago's Jackson Boulevard also honors the former president.