Chicago's Parks: A Photographic History

Images of America: Illinois

by John Graf

No other city in the world has a park system as great as Chicago’s, which includes over 550 parks totaling more than 7,000 acres. Each park has its own story, as well as unique characteristics and history, and yet the majority of Chicagoans are not aware of the wealth, variety, and sheer number of parks that exist, to say nothing of the ideas they
project, the history they commemorate, and the origins of their names. Chicago’s A Photographic History seeks to remedy this oversight. From Chicago’s first park, Dearborn Park, to its more famous parks of Grant and Lincoln, this book provides a wealth of information concerning the origins of the names and plans of these Chicago landmarks. A formal plan for the creation of a park system was developed in 1869, and soon Chicago had some of the greatest parks to be found anywhere in the world. When Chicago was founded in 1837, the city’s fathers adopted the motto urbs in horto, or “the city set in a garden.” Despite the numerous changes that have taken place over the past 160 years, Chicago is still a city set in a garden. Chicago’s A Photographic History captures the growth of that “garden” with its nearly 200 historic photographs.

Genres: Nonfiction

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2000

Reviews

[M.J. Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-done pictorial!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The many parks of the city of Chicago are celebrated in this pictorial. I was amazed by the many photos of statues in the various parks. I plan to visit the huge Lincoln Park this coming June when I travel to Chicago to visit my sister.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really needs a map.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A self-explanatory book from the title. Published in 2000, the 128 page booklet is a photo history of the parks of Chicago. The book is divided into three sections: the West Side, the South Side, and the North Side. The city has/had 550 parks! Some of the photos show statues and others field houses that no longer exist. Almost all are from when the (given) park was first established. A few are drawings as to what the park was envisioned to be before it was built.

Given that the book is from the "Images of America" series of this publisher, you can't expect much more than a grouping of photos with little tidbits about each park. A better way to organize would have been by time in terms of when each was built because the West/North/South is not really done for any true reason. I would be more interested in how the 7,000 acres came to be set-aside/obtained and developed/dedicated. We know Olmstead made a formal plan in 1869, but not what happened to de-rail that plan from completion. I was most taken by the way parks used to be used and how that has changed so drastically (along with the lack of respect for the parks) over 160+ years. Jackson Park is still my favorite - and I am glad it has been so well-preserved.