News
Date Posted:
Location:
1722 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
Supervisor:
Erika Diaz
Phone Numbers:
Main
(312) 742-4622
Hours
Park Hours
Description
This park is located in the West Town neighborhood (west of the Kennedy Expressway, at Ashland Avenue, a little more than one block north of North Avenue). Situated on 2.18 acres, the park contains an athletic field, basketball hoops, a playground, and a dog-friendly area. While there is no structured programming taking place at this location, we invite you to check out our programs offered at nearby Adams, Oz, or Holstein Parks.
This park is directly adjacent to The 606 and serves as a major point of access for residents.
Walsh Park is located at 1722 North Ashland Avenue and serves as the eastern end of the Bloomingdale Trail, the heart of The 606. In 2014, The Chicago Park District received the Open Space and Land Acquisition Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to support improvements that will provide a family-friendly space that supports both the active recreation (athletic field, playground, etc.) and passive recreation (natural grass, trees, and community gardens). The design for Walsh Park includes a playground with a spray feature, outdoor fitness equipment, a gathering space, pathway, landscaping, and lighting improvements.
History
Walsh Park occupies the former site of a vacant building destroyed in a spectacular and deadly fire on July 7, 1970. The Park District had acquired the 2-acre property by the end of 1972, with the help of grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Improvements began the following year. The park development included playground equipment, an athletic field, basketball hoops, and a sand box.
Firefighter John P. Walsh, Jr. (1923-1970), for whom this West Town park is named, died five weeks after being critically injured while fighting the stubborn blaze. Walsh had served as a United States Marine before joining the Chicago Fire Department in 1951. He had been assigned to Hook & Ladder Company 44. Several months after Walsh's death, the Dana Civic Organization requested that the Chicago Park District develop the fire-scarred site as a neighborhood park.
Advisory Council
Contact:
Ananda Breslof, President
Phone:
(773) 206-4043
Email:
AnandaBosch@sbcglobal.net
Meeting Details:
Quarterly
Map & Facilities
Walsh Playground Park Playground Art
Walsh Park Water Spray Feature
