West Chatham Park

West Chatham Park lies in the western portion of Chicago's south side Chatham community. This swampy area remained sparsely populated until the 1920s, when residential construction and manufacturing boomed. Growth in the middle-class community slowed during the Great Depression, but rebounded in the 1940s. At the close of World War II, the Chicago Park District initiated a Ten Year Plan to create new parks in under-served and rapidly-growing areas of the city. The western section of Chatham was among the neighborhoods identified for park development. In spring 1948, a group of community residents and the local alderman, William Murphy, appeared before the park board, recommending the site's acquisition. The Park District moved swiftly, acquiring the property and taking possession by the fall of that year. Because the Park District was simultaneously building 43 new parks, initial improvements moved slowly here, but within a few years the Park had an athletic field and playground equipment.

The park was officially named West Chatham Park in 1953.  By 1954, there was also a brick comfort station. Between 1967 and 1975, the Park District and the Board of Education jointly offered recreational programming at West Chatham Park and adjacent Simeon Vocational High School. In 1989, the Park District upgraded the park, installing a new soft surface playground, and constructing an attractive club room addition to the comfort station. In 2000, the Board of Ed transferred adjacent property to the park to District for the park’s expansion.