Scoville Place
Also known as: Scoville Park
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Why it's listed
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.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the park as a Prairie School landscape designed by Jens Jensen, who organized it around the existing shade trees, curving paths, native shrubs and a meadow. It was Oak Park's first public park and is regarded as a historic community asset. It also reflects the Illinois movement for park districts in the early twentieth century.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02001351, listed November 21, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Lake St. and Oak Park Ave., Oak Park |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | November 21, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02001351 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Jens Jensen (landscape design, 1913) |
| Architectural style | Other: Prairie School of Landscape Architecture; Other: Arts & Crafts |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Landscape Architecture, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a public park, continuing its original recreational role. |
| Acreage | 4.6 |
| Coordinates | 41.88971, -87.79511 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02001351.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7438669
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.