Hamilton Park

Hamilton Park is a 29.95-acre neighborhood park on Chicago's south side, bounded by 72nd and 74th Streets and flanked by railroad rights of way. The South Park Commission bought the land in 1904 and, working with the Olmsted Brothers and D. H. Burnham and Company, opened it by 1905 as one of a system of fourteen parks for neighborhoods without green space. The Olmsted landscape combines naturalistic planting with formal elements, centered on a large sunken ball field ringed by a tree-lined walk. At the north end stands the E-shaped fieldhouse, designed by Edward Bennett in poured concrete with exposed aggregate and classical detailing. A 1932 addition added an auditorium and a library branch. Other features include a concrete boiler house from 1931, viaducts dated 1916, planting-urn pedestals, and a former music court. The park remains in active use and keeps much of its original design, which is why it was recognized as a historic district with twenty-one contributing resources.