Day 47: The Park that was almost a Stadium

     In the early days of Chicago, a real estate magnate by the name of Paul Cornell wanted to develop some green space in his city.  So he lobbied the Illinois General Assembly to let him form an enterprise to ensure that this happened, and they responded by forming the South Park Commission.  In 1869,  the Commission identified nearly 1,000 acres that could be turned into park space.  Cornell hired Frederick Law Olmstead, who had built Central Park in New York City 10 years earlier(and was also a contemporary of Daniel Burnham).  Unfortunately, the Great Chicago Fire burned down the Commission's office(along with all the plans for the park) in 1871.

     The city stood up and dusted themselves off after the fire, and Olmstead was no exception.  Olmstead's vision for the park included a meadow, which would be maintained by keeping sheep who would graze on the grass, thus eliminating the need for landscaping measures.  Cornell did manage to convince Olmstead to put a sporting area in the park over his objections.  In 1881, the park was named in honor of President George Washington.

     The park was meant to be a connection between the lakefront and the city(and later on, a passage to Midway International Airport).  Today, the park houses the DuSable Museum of African American History.  Additionally, the park makes good use of the athletic facilities that Cornell lobbied for, as Washington Park is the site of the largest 16" softball league in the city.  Today, the park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, joining such Chicago Landmarks as:

• The Marshall Field's flagship store
• The Water Tower
• The Pumping Station
• The Cultural Center
• Dearborn Station
• The site of Chicago's first home
• And many others

     One other athletic legacy that the park just missed out on was the 2016 Olympics.  When Chicago put together its bid for the games, the main stadium was to be located in Washington Park.  One of the biggest sources of contention came from the fact that the Park's listing on the NRHP would prevent any modifications to the park.  However, Chicago was bumped from the first round of voting, and all plans to modify Washington Park were bumped along with it.  Today, Washington Park endures as a testament to the planning of Chicago for decades to come.