Free Neighborhood Open House at Gompers Park
When: Sat, Oct 2, 2021 from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Where: Gompers (Samuel) Park, 4222 W. Foster Ave.
The Gompers Park Advisory Council [GPAC] is hosting a free open house at Gompers Park. Learn about park programs, local organizations, and connect with your neighbors.
Located at the corner of Foster and Pulaski Avenues in the North Park community, Gompers Park is 42.17 acres. The park straddles the Chicago River and features rehabilitated wetlands, a lagoon with pier access and other amenities.
Neighborhood Open House at Gompers Park – Related
Free family events North Park Village Nature Center
Free Bird Walks at North Park Village
History of Gompers Park (redacted from Chicago Park District website).
Gompers Park was created by the Albany Park District which was consolidated into the Chicago Park District in 1934 due to financial pressures from the Great Depression.
In 1926, the Albany Park District identified nearly 40 acres of wooded farmland along the North Branch of the Chicago River.
Improvements began almost as soon as initial land purchases were completed in 1927.
By 1932, in addition to wooded areas and a natural stream dammed to create lagoons, the property had basketball courts, archery ranges, football fields, and playgrounds.
Clarence Hatzfeld, a Chicago architect and member of the Albany Park board, designed the park’s Tudor Revival-style fieldhouse.
The Chicago Park District began rehabilitating the southern portion of the park using Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds.
In the mid-1990s the park district began restoring the wetlands along the south bank of the river.
Initially Gompers Park was known as Matson Park, for Samuel Matson, Superintendent of the Albany Park District. In 1929, the district renamed the site in honor of Samuel Gompers (1850-1924), long-time president of the American Federation of Labor.
