Area 206.9 acres (83.7 ha) NRHP Reference # 92000074 | Built 1870s–1920s Added to NRHP February 20, 1992 | |
![]() | ||
Location Roughly bounded by N. Sacramento and Augusta Blvds., and N. Kedzie, North and N. California Aves. and W. Division St., Chicago, Illinois MPS |
Humboldt Park is a 207-acre (84 ha) park located at 1400 North Sacramento Avenue, on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois.
Contents
The park was named for Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and botanist.
History
William Le Baron Jenney began developing the park in the 1870s, molding a flat prairie landscape into a "pleasure ground" with horse trails and a pair of lagoons. The park opened to the public in 1877, but landscape architects such as Jens Jensen made significant additions to the park over the next few decades. Between 1905 and 1920, Jensen connected the two lagoons with a river, planted a rose garden, and built a fieldhouse, boathouse, and music pavilion.
The park played a prominent role in the past for Chicago's Polish Community. The Polish Constitution Day Parade once traditionally terminated here at the Tadeusz Kosciuszko statue that was located here before it was moved to Solidarity Promenade on the lakefront Museum Campus in 1981. Additionally, pianist and Polish statesman Ignace Paderewski delivered a famous address where he rallied Chicagoans to the cause of a free and independent Poland.
From 2012 to 2014, Humboldt Park was the home of the punk rock–based music festival Riot Fest and Carnival. For 2015, the three-day music festival was met with opposition from Alderman Roberto Moldonado and local residents over the condition of the grass, lack of accessibility during and after the festival, and gentrification of the surrounding area. This led to the festival's relocation south to Douglas Park.
Landmarks
The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The boathouse pavilion was named a Chicago Landmark on November 13, 1996. The Humboldt Park Stables and Receptory became a Chicago Landmark on February 6, 2008.
Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture
With the support of Chicago's Puerto Rican community, Puerto Rican leaders in Chicago leased the historic Humboldt Park stables near Paseo Boricua to house the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. About $3.4 million was spent to renovate the exterior of the building and another $3.2 million for the interior.
The facility is opened in 2009.
Statues
Additionally, the park was once home to a statue of Tadeusz Kosciuszko by Kazimierz Chodzinski that was built thanks to funds raised by Chicago's Polish community and moved in 1981 to the city's lakefront.