Whittier Park & Recreation Center improvements Spark'd Studio construction & playground, sport court & other park improvements

Milestones (anticipated project schedule by month/season)

Summer and Fall 2022
Community Engagement

Fall 2022 – Winter 2023
Design Phase

Fall 2023 – Winter 2024
Construction

 

Funding sources and park history

The MPRB planning staff has been working with children during the summer camps at Whittier Park to develop ideas to improve the existing playground and envision a new play space.

Whittier Park is adjacent to Whittier International Elementary School on Harriet Avenue between West 26th and 27th Streets. The park is named for the school, which was named after John Greenleaf Whittier, a poet, and advocate for the abolition of slavery.

The Whittier neighborhood was slated to receive a park in 1939, but because of World War II no parks were acquired or developed for many years. In 1955 the neighborhood petitioned for a playground in the vicinity of the school. It was a contentious project because homes would have to be demolished to create space for a park. In 1959 the Park Board allocated bond funds for the first time to begin buying land for the park, but due to continued opposition and delays, the project was abandoned in 1963 and the bond returned to the city. The desire for a neighborhood park, however, didn’t disappear. The park that exists now was approved in 1973 when the Park Board had the opportunity to access funds from a new federal “Parks in the Cities” program. These funds would cover half the land acquisition costs. The Park Board began construction of the Whittier Park recreation center and the adjoining playground, wading pool and athletic field in 1975. In 1989 the recreation center was named for Roger Imme, a grocer who operated a store across the street from the park who was shot unfortunately and killed in his store during a robbery. The park facilities were renovated in 1995 and upgrades were made to the recreation center in 2008-2009 to improve the security and energy efficiency of the building. Excerpted from history written by David C. Smith

Funding is allocated from the following sources:

Funding (NPP20)
2021 NPP20 165,700.00
2020 NPP20 106,300.00
2020 NPP20 390,000.00
2021 capital Levy 34,000.00
2021 capital Levy 110,000.00

Total: $ 806,000