Senka (Edward "Duke") Park

Edward "Duke" Senka, for whom this park is named, was a long-time park district employee. Senka rose from physical instructor to supervisor of recreation between 1941 and his death in 1983. The Chicago Park District created Senka Park in 1971 on an abandoned rail yard leased by the city from the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. When in 1990 the railroad announced plans to terminate the lease and sell the parkland for development, the community protested. Fortunately, the park district, with the help of the Trust for Public Land, successfully negotiated the purchase of the leased property, together with adjoining land, and tripled the park's size. The park district, the board of education, and the city have since pooled their resources to develop state-of-the-art recreational facilities at the site.