Scoville Place

Scoville Park occupies a 4.6-acre block at the northwest corner of Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois. The land was bought in 1857 by James Wilmarth Scoville from Joseph Kettlestrings, and Scoville built a large Stick style mansion on the hill. In 1912 the newly formed Park District acquired the property, demolished the buildings, and built a park from a 1913 design by Jens Jensen. It became Oak Park's first public park. Jensen kept most of the large existing trees, laid out curving paths that follow the topography, and planted dense edges of native shrubs around open spaces. Active recreation was placed on the flat north end, with a meadow to the south and a knoll at the center. Later additions include a 1925 World War I monument, a 1936 shelter and comfort station, and a reconstructed Horse Show Fountain. The park is listed as a district with six contributing and four noncontributing resources.