Simons Park facts for kids

Simons Park is a fun public park found at 1640 N. Drake Avenue in the Humboldt Park area of West Side, Chicago, Illinois. It's a great place for kids and families to play and relax.

The park is managed by the Chicago Park District. It has lots of cool things to do! You can play baseball, practice boxing, or shoot hoops on the outdoor basketball courts. Inside, there's a full gym and rooms for meetings. For younger kids, there's a playground and a spraypool that's open in the summer.

History of Simons Park

The land where Simons Park now stands was once a farm. It belonged to early settlers named Edward and Laura Sprague Simons. Their farm covered a large area. It stretched between Armitage Avenue, North Avenue, Central Park Avenue, and Kedzie Avenue.

How the Park Started

In 1916, a group called the Fullerton Avenue Business Men's Association had an idea. They wanted to create a public park for the neighborhood. But their plan had to wait until after World War I ended.

In 1920, the Northwest Park District bought the land. This district later joined to form the Chicago Park District in 1934. Within eight years, a new building called a fieldhouse was built. This finished the park's main setup. The fieldhouse was designed by a famous architect, Walter W. Ahlschlager. It has been updated a few times, including in 1990 and again in the early 2000s.