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Green (Jeffrey) Park

Phone

(not available)

Address


6500 N. Algonquin Ave.
Chicago, IL 60646

Jurisdiction

Chicago Parks

History

Located on land once owned by Billy Caldwell, an early Chicagoan of Irish and Native American blood, Edgebrook Park, as it was previously known, takes its name from the surrounding Edgebrook Manor subdivision, created in 1922. Seven years later in 1930, the developers donated a triangle of land along the Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad tracks to the City of Chicago for use as parkland. By the close of World War II, the City had expanded the park, then known as Edgebrook Manor Triangle, into the right-of-way of adjacent Kinzua Avenue by vacating Kinzua Avenue in 1933, adding a tennis court. In the early 1950s, the City’s Bureau of Parks and Recreation removed the tennis court and installed a basketball court and playground equipment. The City transferred Edgebrook Park to the Chicago Park District in 1957, along with more than 250 other properties pursuant to the Chicago Park and City Exchange of Functions Act.  In 1964, the park was expanded through land acquisition.  The Park District rehabilitated the playground in 1965, and again in 1990.

In the mid-1990s, a library was proposed at Edgebrook Park.  In response, local resident and environmentalist Jeffrey S. Green (1938-1999) successfully prevented the potential loss of parkland by finding another location for the community library. In 2000, the Park District recognized Green's efforts by naming the park in his honor. Green also left his mark on the city as a whole. A life-long environmental activist, Green was a founder and president of Friends of the Chicago River, an organization whose goal is to revitalize the river. He was also a board member of Friends of the Parks for over six years and served as the organization's president. As a leader of both groups, Green worked diligently to improve Chicago's parks.

Description

This park contains a playslab with a basketball standard and a playground with a sandbox. Neighbors had nicknamed the site Choo-Choo Park for the toy train that children play in. Jeffrey S. Green Park totals 1.36 acres and it is located in the Forest Glen neighborhood, one block northwest of Central Avenue, and 1 ½ blocks northeast of Caldwell Avenue (beyond the railroad tracks parallel to Lehigh Avenue).

While there is no structured programming taking place at this location, we invite you to check out our programs offered at nearby Edgebrook Park.