PiViEVK AND CEME-TER^Y 
2 I 5 
Henry G. Foreman, president of the 
South Park Board of Chicago and of the 
Outer Belt Park Commission of that 
city, discusses the present and past of 
Chicago’s parks and the extensive plans 
for the future in an elaborate illustrated 
article, entitled “Chicago's New Park 
Service," in the Century Magazine for 
February. 
Opening with the statement that Chi- 
cago's park system began in i86g, at- 
taining an area of 2,000 acres within 
eleven years, the article continues : 
"Twenty-three years later these parks 
were inadequate to the population, and, 
to meet the obvious need, Chicago en- 
tered upon a scheme of park extension 
divided into three enterprises : first, new 
internal parks, neighborhood center 
buildings, improvement of Grant Park 
(enlarged five times), and an extensive 
addition to Lincoln Park ; second, an 
outer belt of forest and meadow tracts 
connected by parkways ; third, boule- 
varding the east edge of the city (the 
Lake Michigan shore), except where 
boulevards or parks already existed. 
“The first step taken toward the pres- 
ent park expansion was to amend the 
Illinois law which permitted additions 
to recreation area only contiguous to ex- 
isting parks and boulevards. The South 
Park commissioners were the first to 
act, 
“The commissioners had started out 
to provide simple parks ; but the condi- 
tions show'ed that such places, to be 
serviceable in a city wdiere 70 per cent 
of the people live in contracted quarters, 
must be more than breathing spaces with 
grass, flowers, trees and perhaps a pond 
and a fountain, d'hey must afiford gym- 
nasia, libraries, baths, refectories, club- 
rooms, and halls for meetings and the- 
atricals. They must be useful day and 
evening, summer and winter. The pub- 
lic must receive a continuous and ample 
return upon its investment — daily divi- 
dends in happiness, health, and prog- 
ress.” 
This “awakening" or discovery, Mr. 
Foreman says, gave birth to the idea of 
the fieldhouse, or neighlrorhood center 
building, and the details of this com- 
paratively new feature, covering all of 
the needs above referred to, are ex- 
plained. 
In the new McKinley Park more than 
121,000 men, women and children used 
the swimming pool during the season of 
1904. This park is four miles from Lake 
Michigan, the bathing beaches of w’hich 
might as well not exist in so far as they 
are serviceable to the hot and work-worn 
people of the Brighton district. That 
these people might enjoy the healthful 
luxury of bathing, an out-of-door con- 
crete tank was built, 350 feet long, 150 
wide, and sloping to a depth of nine 
feet. The w'ater is tempered artificially, 
and the pool is surrounded with planta- 
tion effects. Dressing rooms and bath- 
ing suits are furnished free. Approach 
to the pool is through an Ionic colon- 
nade of stone, roofed with a flower gar- 
den. Within the colonnade is a shower- 
bath house, where patrons are cleansed 
l^efore entering the public water. The 
pool has proved itself an undisguised 
blessing to the working people of the 
McKinley Park region. This district is 
familiar to the public, for it lies out on 
the “Archey’’ road, made famous in the 
Dooley papers. 
In addition to the swimming pool, 
each park has a shallow wading pool 
for children, and a sand pit where they 
ma^' play. Each also has swings, giant 
strides and other athletic apparatus. 
In all the parks are running tracks, 
and all have outdoor gymnasia, con- 
nected wnth the indoor gymnasia, for 
supplemental service in summer. For 
the wise and systematic use of the gym- 
nasia the commissioners have employed 
a director, a graduate of Harvard. This 
officer will give instruction, assist in 
organizing neighborhood clubs, encour- 
age athletic rivalries and make exercise 
attractive. 
Such, briefly, is the service the com- 
missioners afford in the new club 
houses. All is free to any person who 
conducts himself or herself properly. 
The buildings vary in size with the 
neighborhood and the area of the parks 
or squares. 'I'he walls are a concrete 
of Portland cement and crushed lime- 
stone. In the surface finish small par- 
ticles of stone are visible, making the 
wall rough instead of flat and mean- 
ingless. The ornamentation also is con- 
crete — pilasters and pillars with classic- 
capitals. The roofs of the buildings are 
gray-green tile. The eaves are stained 
red, relieved by the whitened ends of the 
rafters. 
The park building is placed near the 
promenade and the concert grove, the 
outdoor gymnasia for both men and 
women, and the natatorium. 
The large feature is the assembly hall, 
shared by men, women and children as 
a shelter, and arranged for lectures and 
entertainments. The ceiling is high, 
showing open timbers. A stage is pro- 
vided, and, in close communication, a 
refectory, a retiring room for women 
and a smoking room for men. 
Flanking this hall are the wings ac- 
commodating the social and athletic 
functions for men and women respect- 
ively. From the wings the hall is sep- 
arated by entrance vestibules, controlled 
by attendants’ offices and opening into 
the locker room, the public toilets, and 
the staircases leading to a second story. 
Here are arranged the club rooms, li- 
brary and class rooms. 
The out-of-door swimming pool is 
screened by the main building and by 
vine-covered pergolas, is arranged with a 
southern exposure, and is inclosed by 
walls on the north, thus gathering and 
reflecting the sun's rays. This raises 
the temperature and prolongs the bath- 
ing season. Flowering shrubs, vines 
and lawns enrich the pool inclosure, and 
stretches of sand invite the swimmers 
to enjoy sun baths. 
'I’he dressing booths, in extended 
rows, are removed from the main build- 
ing, and are controlled by a special offi- 
cer. From the booths the swimmer 
passes to the pool through a shower 
bath, where there are soap and brushes. 
Adjoining the booths is the laundry, 
with the heating service. 'Fhere also is 
a hair-drying room for women. 
The building and pool in the smallest 
of these squares occupy an acre. In 
the larger squares and parks the area is 
consideralfly greater. Each building is 
designed to fit well into the landscape 
of the park. 'I'he average cost is about 
$90,000. 
Various river sites for small parks 
and playgrounds have been purchased 
by the commissioners, notably on Ogden 
Island and in the lumlier district, where 
liberal bathing facilities are assured. 
