{"nrhp_refnum":"09000027","name":"Wing Park Golf Course","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"1000 Wing St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elgin","county":"Kane County","state":"IL","lat":43.851781387000045,"lon":-88.34088613313999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-02-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Landscape Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A nine-hole municipal golf course covering 52 acres within Wing Park in Elgin, Kane County, Illinois, designed by Thomas Bendelow and built in the summer of 1908.","why_significant":"The course is argued to be locally significant for its role in Elgin's recreational history and as an example of landscape architecture. It is described as the oldest and best-preserved nine-hole municipal course in Illinois, keeping its original layout of tees, fairways and greens. It is also an early work of Thomas Bendelow, a prolific early golf course designer.","narrative":"Wing Park Golf Course is a 52-acre, nine-hole municipal course on the east side of Wing Park in Elgin, Illinois, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago. The park was donated to the city by William H. Wing after his death in 1902, and Thomas Bendelow designed the course, which was built in the summer of 1908 for $1,250. Its parallel fairways, small greens and rolling, tree-lined terrain are typical of Bendelow's early work, and the original arrangement of tees, fairways and greens survives with few changes. A remnant embankment from the park's former speedway track remains at the north end. The course is described as the oldest and best-preserved nine-hole municipal course in Illinois. It introduced thousands of Elgin residents to golf when the only alternative was a private country club, and it was open to players of both genders and many ages and abilities. A pump house and maintenance building from the 1980s do not contribute to its historic character.","period_of_significance":"1908-1958","architect_builder":"Thomas \"Tom\" Bendelow","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a golf course; the original configuration of tees, fairways and greens is largely retained, with a pond renovated in 2007 and two non-contributing service buildings added in the 1980s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.333741-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/8932/28893230/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/09000027.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000027/968b3ab0cf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000027/968b3ab0cf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Teemu08","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wing_Park_Golf_Course.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Teemu08</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:Wing_Park_Golf_Course.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893230","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Park_Golf_Course","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8025101"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/kane-county/wing-park-golf-course-09000027/"}