Hours
Park Hours
Description
Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood (2-1/2 blocks north of Fullerton Avenue, and midway between Southport and Ashland Avenues),Wrightwood Park’s is comprised of 4.64 acres.The park contains a small fieldhouse and, outside: a junior swimming pool, junior baseball field, combination football-soccer field, outdoor oval track, four-hoop basketball court, sand volleyball court, plus a soft-surface playground with sandbox and spray feature.
Wrightwood Park specializes in recreation for young people.Parents will appreciate the opportunity for their of tots / preschoolers to increase their socialization skills in programs such as: Moms Pops & Tots Interaction, Preschool, Fun & Games, Indoor Soccer, Play School Activities, Tiny Tot Tumbling, T-Ball Baseball and Saturday Hitters.Preschool arts & crafts classes are also available. Youth can take advantage of programs in baseball, bitty basketball, dodgeball, flag football, floor hockey, kids fitness, soccer.
During the summer, Wrightwood Park offers aquatics courses for all ages--as well as camps for preschoolers, youth, and young teens. Adults can join one of the park’s 16” Softball leagues.
History
In 1907, the city's Special Park Commission began creating a municipal playground in the then-congested working class Lincoln Park neighborhood. Formerly a rubbish-filled clay pit, the property needed excavation and cleaning before it could be transformed into parkland. After filling and grading the site, the city installed a running track and playing field that could be flooded in winter for ice skating. The following year, a small frame fieldhouse and two small shelters were constructed; playground equipment installed; and trees, shrubs, and flowers planted. The city named the park for adjacent Wrightwood Avenue, which recognizes the four Chicago Wright brothers who developed the area in the mid 19th century. By 1910, more than 300,000 people used Wrightwood Park annually. In the fieldhouse, classes were offered to age groups ranging from kindergartners to adults. Activities included gymnastics, calisthenics, wrestling, dancing, games, raffia weaving, and sewing. The city organized baseball leagues played there in the summer. Boys from Wrightwood Park also participated in athletic meets at other city parks. In 1953, the park's original buildings were replaced by a modern fieldhouse. Six years later, the city transferred Wrightwood Park to the Chicago Park District along with more than 250 other properties. The district constructed a swimming pool in the park in 1968.