Events
Aug
7
ChiPubLib Park Tour: Palmisano Park at McGuane
Location: McGuane (John) Park
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Aug
10
Hours
Park Hours
Description
Located in the Bridgeport community, McGuane Park totals 9.88 acres and features an indoor swimming pool, two gymnasiums, an assembly hall, a kitchen and meeting rooms.
Outside, the park offers baseball fields, an athletic field for soccer or football, tennis courts, an interactive water feature and a playground. The playground was renovated in Fall 2013 as part of the Chicago Plays! program. McGuane is located across the street from Stearn Quarry, now the Palmisano Park nature area.
Many of the spaces at McGuane Park are available for rental. Park-goers can play baseball, football, soccer or tennis at the facility. McGuane Park also offers a therapeutic recreation program for patrons with special needs. After school programs are offered throughout the school year, and in the summer youth attend the Park District’s popular six-week day camp. Specialty camps are offered in the summer as well, including a therapeutic recreation camp.
In addition to programs, McGuane Park hosts fun special events throughout the year for the whole family, such as Movies in the Park, holiday special activities and other Night Out in the Parks events.
History
First opened to the public in 1905, McGuane Park was originally known as Mark White Square. The site was one of ten revolutionary parks created to provide relief to Chicago's tenement districts. The other nine were Armour, Russell, Davis, and Cornell Squares, and Ogden, Sherman, Palmer, Bessemer, and Hamilton Parks. Offering a variety of valuable recreational, educational, and social services to their surrounding communities, these ten properties soon influenced the development of other parks throughout the nation.
McGuane Park's original name honored Mark White (1837- 1891), revered superintendent of the South Park Commission for twenty years. In 1960, the Chicago Park District renamed the park as a tribute to John F. McGuane (1892-1960), who lived across the street from the park all of his life. A veteran of World War I, McGuane was active in many civic organizations and served as a member of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners for four years. In 1972, the park's original fieldhouse was demolished and replaced with a new building and swimming pool.
Advisory Council
Contact:
Preston Breunig , President
Email:
mcguanepac@gmail.com
Meeting Details:
1st Monday of the month at 6 p.m.