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unusual facts about Chicago Park District


Chicago Park District

The size and personnel of the park district was dramatically pared down during the reform administration of Mayor Richard M. Daley-appointed CEO Forrest Claypool in the mid-1990s.


Brighton Park, Chicago

In 1855, Chicago mayor "Long" John Wentworth built the Brighton Park horse racetrack (whose name conveniently alluded to the more famous Brighton Racecourse in England) directly east of the village, in what is now the Chicago Park District's McKinley Park.

DuSable Museum of African American History

In 1973, the Chicago Park District donated the usage of a park administration building in Washington Park as the site for the museum.


see also

Beaches in Chicago

Ashe Beach Park is a newer addition to the Chicago Park District's beaches, bought in 1979 and named for the late tennis great Arthur Ashe, after he died of AIDS in 1993.

Margaret Taylor-Burroughs

She was named Chicago Park District Commissioner by Harold Washington in 1985, a position she held until 2010.

Walter Netsch

From 1986 to 1989, he served as Commissioner of the Chicago Park District, appointed by Mayor Harold Washington.