Title
REQUEST TO OFFICIALLY TO NAME
PARK NO. 543 AS PRINTERS ROW PARK
AND PARK NO. 568 AS WEST RIDGE NATURE PARK
Body
To the Honorable Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District
I. Recommendation
It is recommended that an order be entered authorizing the General Superintendent or his designee to officially name Park No. 543 as Printers Row Park and Park No. 568 as West Ridge Nature Park.
Proposed Park or feature: Park No. 543
Location: 632 South Dearborn Street
Community Area: Loop
Ward: 4
Proposed Name: Printers Row Park
Proposed Park or feature: Park No. 568
Location: 5801 North Western Avenue
Community Area: Lincoln Square
Ward: 40
Proposed Name: West Ridge Nature Park
II. Park Naming Procedures
Chapter VII, Section E of the Code of the Chicago Park District, (the Naming Ordinance), which governs the naming and renaming of parks and park features, states that if a proposed name honors a person, the (i) person shall have been deceased for a least one (1) year prior to consideration; and (ii) the person shall have demonstrated a continued commitment and made an extraordinary contribution to civic betterment, locally, nationally or internationally.
Pursuant to Chapter VII, Section E (1) of the Code of the Chicago Park District, these requests to name the parks were forwarded to the Secretary of the Chicago Park District, who filed a copy of these requests with the Committee on Programs and Recreation and initiated a notice period to solicit public input. Notices were posted in parks and sent to advisory councils located within a one-mile radius of the park sites. Elected officials were also notified of the proposal, including the alderman of the wards in which the parks are located.
The notice period of forty-five (45) days soliciting public input regarding the naming proposals was initiated on _August 14, 2020, There has been positive support for these proposals from the aldermen and the community. Staff recommends that the Board approve the request to name Park No. 543 to Printers Row Park and Park No. 568 to West Ridge Nature Park.
III. Explanation
Park No. 543
The Chicago Park District assigns an official park number to every property. In some instances, parks attain names that are well-known within their communities, even when the sites have never been officially named by the Chicago Park District. Occasionally, these parks have signage with those names or are listed in various maps as such. In order to avoid confusion, it is proposed that the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners initiate the 45-day notice period to solicit public input to name Park No. 543 as Printers Row Park. This proposal has the support of Alderman King, the Park Advisory Council, the South Loop Neighbors organization, The Transportation Building Condominium organization, and local residents.
Proposed Name: Printers Row Park
Park No. 543 is a 0.38-acre property in the South Loop Community Area of Chicago in an area commonly known as Printers Row. Dating back to the 1880’s, this area was historically home to numerous printing houses and book publishers, leading to its reference as the printing center of the Midwest. Originally a City-owned park, when ownership was transferred to the Chicago Park District in 2013, the official number assigned was Park No. 543. However, many in the community continue to know this passive green space surrounding a fountain as Printers Row Park.
Park No. 568
The Chicago Park District assigns an official park number to every property. In some instances, parks attain names that are well-known within their communities, even when the sites have never been officially named by the Chicago Park District. Occasionally, these parks have signage with those names or are listed in various maps as such. In order to avoid confusion, it is proposed that the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners initiate the 45-day notice period to solicit public input to name Park No. 568 as West Ridge Nature Preserve. This proposal has the support of Alderman Vasquez, the Park Advisory Council, and local residents.
Proposed Name: West Ridge Nature Park
Park No. 568 is a 21.23-acre park that includes a 4.5-acre pond, wetlands, a savannah, woodlands, boardwalks, trails, native plantings, and great diversity of wildlife. The site lies at the northwest corner of Rosehill Cemetery, one of Chicago’s oldest burial grounds. Never developed as a burial ground, it was long used as a dumping site for excess dirt and debris. The site was acquired by the Park District in 2012, and developed in 2015 into the urban oasis that it is today. The site has been commonly known by the community as West Ridge Nature Park since the earliest days of its development.