Cornell Square
Why it's listed
Cornell Square is an 8.29-acre neighborhood park at 1809 West 50th Street in Chicago's Back-of-the-Yards community. Originally called Park No. 5, it opened in August 1905 as one of the first ten small parks built by the South Park Commission. Olmsted Brothers designed the landscape and D.H. Burnham & Co. designed the buildings. The park centers on a field house complex of exposed aggregate concrete in Beaux Arts style, with gymnasiums, a swimming pool, a recessed athletic field, walkways, a spray pool and playgrounds. The park offered athletics, clubrooms, education and social programs to a densely populated immigrant neighborhood near the Union Stock Yards. It was listed for its role in a pioneering park system that influenced neighborhood park design nationwide, and for its architecture and landscape design. Changes include new concrete paths, replaced plantings and removal of the running track, though the layout, sunken field and many historic details remain.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1905 - 1955 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Beaux Arts Classicism |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Social History, Architecture, Landscape Architecture |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Cornell Square (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.