Description
Located in the Beverly community area, Cosme Park totals 4.23 acres and is a recreational destination enjoyed by park patrons and their families.This park contains a playground, baseball field, tennis courts and benches. Park patrons engage in a variety of activities at Cosme Park including baseball, soccer, tennis and softball.
History
The Ridge Park District, one of 22 independent park boards consolidated into the Chicago Park District in 1934, established Cosme Park in the late 1920’s, after years of controversy. The Beverly Hills Improvement Association had first proposed creating a park at 91st Street and Longwood Avenue in 1921. Two other community groups, the Washington Heights and Ridge Improvement Associations, voiced concerns about the proposal. Finally, in the spring of 1927, the Beverly Hills Improvement Association gathered the signatures of 525 area residents favoring the park's creation. Persuaded, the Ridge Park Board agreed to proceed, and in 1928 and 1929 purchased more than three acres of property. Acquisition was initiated in 1925 and was completed in 1936. Park plans submitted by the Beverly Hills Improvement Association and adopted by the Ridge Park District in 1933 called for a playground set in an attractive greenspace. Although the playground was apparently never built, the Chicago Park District installed tennis courts shortly after it took over in 1934.
In 1953, the property was officially designated Longwood Park, a name it had held informally since the 1920’s. Nearly 40 years later, the Chicago Park District honored the request of the Beverly Improvement Association to rename the site Cosme Park. Margaret Cosme, a neighborhood child, died tragically after being struck by a moving vehicle. Cosme's father, along with her grandfather, Luke Cosme, a longtime Park District employee, had helped construct the park's new baseball diamond in the 1980s. Margaret herself had participated in the Little League program there.