Scoville Park facts for kids
Scoville Park is a public park in Oak Park, Illinois. It was designed by Jens Jensen, a famous landscape architect from Denmark. The park is found at Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue. It's right in the middle of the town's Hemingway District. The Oak Park Public Library is also next to it.
The park has a war memorial called Peace Triumphant. This memorial honors local soldiers from World War I. You can also find a copy of the Horse Show Fountain here. There's a big open area for summer concerts and other town events. Kids can enjoy a playground and tennis courts. Scoville Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. This means it's an important historical place.
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Park History: How Scoville Park Began
Joseph Kettlestrings was the first white settler in the Oak Park area. In 1833, he bought a large piece of land from the government. This land included what is now Scoville Park. A special marker in the park shows where his second home might have been.
In 1855, James Scoville bought the land from Kettlestrings. He built his large white house where the Peace Triumphant statue stands today. This spot is on a small hill. This hill marks a special line called a continental divide. It separates water flowing to the Saint Lawrence River from water flowing to the Mississippi River. James Scoville later gave money to start the Scoville Institute. This institute eventually became the Oak Park Public Library. It was built right next to his home.
People wanted to turn Scoville's estate into a hotel. But in 1912, the Park District of Oak Park was created. This group bought the land for about $135,000. In 1913, Scoville's house was taken down. Then, Jens Jensen drew up the plans for the new park.
Scoville Park has changed over the years. It was updated in 2012-2013. The goal was to make the park more open. They also wanted it to look more like Jensen's first design. In 2018, there were plans for a very tall building across from the park. Some people worried this building would cast a big shadow. They thought it might harm Scoville Park and the nearby Unity Temple. The Unity Temple is a famous building by Frank Lloyd Wright. Luckily, the plans for the tall building were stopped in 2019.
Horse Show Fountain: A Drink for All
The Horse Show Fountain is a copy of an older fountain. The original was built in 1909, and this copy was made in 1969. You can find it at the park's entrance. This is at the corner of Lake and Oak Park. Some people also call it the Wright-Bock Fountain. This is because the first one was likely designed by sculptor Richard Bock and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The fountain was built by a local group called the Horse Show Foundation. It was made for people, horses, and even dogs to get a drink.
The first fountain was about 100 feet west of its current spot. It stood on the street curb. By the 1960s, the old fountain was falling apart. So, a new one was built using fresh materials. It was then moved about 100 feet east, to the park's corner. The words carved on the original fountain were lost during this process. The new fountain was officially opened on June 8, 1969. People at the time thought this was Frank Lloyd Wright's 100th birthday. (Later, they found out he was actually two years older.)
Peace Triumphant: A Memorial to Heroes
The Oak Park-River Forest War Memorial is known as Peace Triumphant. It honors the soldiers from World War I. This memorial stands at the top of a hill on the park's north side. People from Oak Park and nearby River Forest helped build it in 1925. They gave over $52,000 to create this monument. It is made of granite and bronze.
The monument has three bronze statues. They represent the army, navy, and air force. It also lists the names of 2,446 local people who served in World War I. One famous name on the list is Ernest Hemingway. He grew up nearby and used to sled down this very hill as a boy. The Vice President Charles G. Dawes attended the dedication. This happened on Armistice Day in 1925.
Peace Triumphant was repaired in 2009-2010. During this work, the old foundations of James Scoville's house were found under the statue.
Percy Julian Bust: Honoring a Scientist
A statue, called a bust, of Percy Julian was put in the park in 2003. Percy Julian was a chemist and a kind person. He lived in Oak Park for a long time. His bust is near the library, on the park's west side. The Institute for Science Education and Technology asked for this bust to be made.
