{"nrhp_refnum":"09000023","name":"Independence Park","other_names":["Park #83"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"3945 N. Springfield Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.95224668550003,"lon":-87.72298239756753,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-02-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Independence Park is a 7.86-acre municipal park district at 3945 N. Springfield Avenue in the Irving Park neighborhood on Chicago's northwest side. It was created by the Irving Park District, with a brick field house completed in 1914 and a bungalow acquired in 1929.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the park is significant under Criterion A for its role in neighborhood recreation and civic life, including a tradition of Independence Day celebrations on the site since 1903. It is significant under Criterion C for the Classical Revival field house by Hatzfeld and Knox with Prairie style elements, and for its landscape. The park retains good integrity in its buildings, walkways, athletic areas and trees.","narrative":"Independence Park is a 7.86-acre public park on Chicago's northwest side, created by the Irving Park District after residents began holding Fourth of July celebrations on the site in 1903. Its centerpiece is a red brick field house completed in 1914 by architects Hatzfeld and Knox. The Classical Revival building has arched openings, a cruciform plan and Spanish ceramic tile roofs, along with Prairie style touches such as patterned brickwork and broad eaves. It originally held a swimming pool, gymnasium, auditorium and a branch library. In 1929 the district added land to the east, including a 1919 bungalow by Benedict Bruns that became a women's reception building. The landscape keeps its walkways, mature trees, a raised semicircular area with a flagpole, and concrete letters spelling the park's name, remnants of a sunken garden that existed from the late 1920s to 1949. Athletic fields, tennis courts and playgrounds continue to serve the neighborhood. Its buildings and landscape illustrate early twentieth-century park design and community recreation.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Hatzfeld and Knox (field house, pergola shelters); Benedict Bruns (bungalow)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals (Classical Revival field house with Prairie style elements; American Craftsman bungalow with Spanish Mission elements)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The park and field house remain in use for recreation, and the field house still provides most of its original functions. The bungalow is undergoing preservation work and its garage needs repair.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.565755-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/8910/28891004/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/09000023.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000023/188ed4459e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000023/188ed4459e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Thshriver","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Independence_Park_2.2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Thshriver</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Independence_Park_2.2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891004","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Park_(Chicago)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18749019"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/independence-park-09000023/"}