In 1909, Highland Park was rapidly growing in population. Congestion was a concern and the citizens voted to establish a park district to acquire and maintain open space, in particular a lakefront park at the end of Ravine Drive. Everett Millard and George A. Mason campaigned for the passage of a park’s referendum, which upon its narrow passage, established the Highland Park East Park District.
Millard Park contains 13 acres and is named after Everett L. Millard, an early Commissioner and President of the Highland Park East Park District from 1915-1933. The park was named in his honor on the 100th anniversary of his birth on April 28, 1977. The park is made up of three parcels of land.
Park Avenue, named for an adjacent street, contains approximately two acres, and is made up of two parcels purchased in 1917 for $7,000. The rest of the land is owned by the City of Highland Park.
Sunset Valley Golf Course is situated on 125.5 acres. This site was purchased in 1920 for $16,000. Sunset Valley is one of the earliest built golf courses on the suburban North Shore. It is an 18-hole course with a clubhouse and a pro shop. The first 9 holes opened in 1920, and the second 9 opened in 1923. In 2018, Sunset Valley underwent a $7 million renovation to both the course and clubhouse.
Sunset Woods Park contains 37.2 acres and is made up of six major parcels of land purchased for $122,500. Acquisition of the first parcel took place in 1920 and the final parcel was purchased in 1949. Because of its central location, this park is classified as a major park and is used heavily by residents of Highland Park and neighboring communities.
Jens Jensen Park, originally named Station Park, is approximately four-fifths of one acre in size. The Park was purchased for $15,750 in 1924 and consists of four parcels of land. The park was named in honor of Jens Jensen, a landscape architect of national repute, known for his use of natural materials and native shrubs and trees.
Moroney Park, formerly called Idlewild Park, contains 2.65 acres. The park is made up of five parcels of land donated to the Park District by the City of Highland Park in 1927. The park was renamed on April 20, 1964, in honor of Edward J. Moroney, a former City Council member and Chief of Police for the City and Park District.
Lincoln Park contains 4.32 acres and is made up of two parcels of land purchased by the District in 1928 at a cost of $69,000. Improvements to the park were financed by a $66,000 bond issue approved in September of 1945.
Old Elm Park contains approximately six acres of land and was deeded to the Park District by a private party in 1928.
Port Clinton Park commemorates the original town of Port Clinton which was located in the northeast portion of Highland Park in 1836. The Park contains four and three-quarters acres purchased as one parcel for $31,274 in 1928.
Rosewood Park contains a little over 11 acres. A portion of this site was purchased in 1928 for $13,500 from the Rosenwald family. The second parcel was purchased in 1945 at a cost of $75,400 and contains 5.76 acres. Rosewood Park was given national landmark status in 1983. Rosewood Beach underwent a $14.5 million renovation project that was completed in June 2015.
It is a triangular shaped park approximately one-half acre in size. The site was donated to the Park District in 1928.
This park was originally named Roger Williams Park for an adjacent street. This site contains approximately two acres of land. Parcel one was obtained from the City of Highland Park as a vacated portion of Kincaid Street and Parcel two was purchased in 1928 for $35,758.45. Roger Williams Park was rededicated in honor of May T. Watts in May of 1980. Ms. Watts was a naturalist of national renown and a one-time resident of Highland Park. She worked with the children of Ravinia School to develop this park for nature study.
Longview Park is actually a parkway owned by the City. It is 7.35 acres and extends along the east side of the old Chicago and North Shore Railroad right-of-way and St. Johns Avenue. By a special agreement between the Railroad, City and Park District, it was landscaped in 1929 as a city beautification project. Since that time, it has been maintained by the Park District as a parkway strip.
Brown Park, originally named West Longview Park, contains 5.5 acres. The Park was purchased for $206,586.77 in 1930 through a special assessment and consists of 38 parcels of land. Brown Park was named to honor Edward J. Brown in 1964. Mr. Brown was the second Superintendent of Parks for the Park District and served in that post for 21 years.
Laurel Park, named for an adjacent street, consists of four parcels of land totaling two acres. The park was purchased for $130,000 in 1930 and financed through a special assessment in the amount of $93,711.58.
Snyder Park was originally named Burr Oak after the large Burr Oak tree which stands in the southwest corner of the site. Burr Oak was renamed Snyder Park in honor of Carroll Snyder, a former Park District Commissioner and President of the Board, in September 1982. Snyder Park contains approximately five acres of land and is made up of two major parcels.
Kennedy Park, formerly called Clavey Park, is named in memory of President Kennedy. The ordinance creating the John F. Kennedy Park was approved by the Park Board on January 6, 1964. The park contains 4.68 acres and is located on Clavey Road. The park was purchased for $7,822 in 1953. Kennedy Park was the first actual cooperative planning and subsequent development of both a school and park facility at the same time.
Sherwood Park, named for the adjacent Sherwood Forest neighborhood, contains 2.5 acres, and was acquired in 1953 through the joint efforts of the Park District, the Briarwood Country Club and residents of the neighborhood.
West Ridge Park contains 10.25 acres and was purchased for approximately $15,000 in 1953.
Mooney Park has 6 acres and was named after the Mooney family who were early settlers of Highland Park. The park is made up of two parcels of land purchased from the Mooney family in 1956 and 1957 at a cost of $20,950.
Devonshire Park is named for an adjacent street and contains 1.75 acres. This four-parcel site was purchased between 1959 and 1963 at a cost of $13,335.
Manor Park contains approximately 11.32 acres, including the Twin Pools, a driving range, and a miniature golf course. Manor Park consists of eight major parcels of land and the total cost of land acquisition was $180,000 in 1959.
Twin Pools was the first community swimming pool in Highland Park and was located where Hidden Creek AquaPark stands today. The idea for the pool began in the mid-1950s when the Park Board and residents expressed their desire for a community swimming pool. In 1954, the Highland Park Lion’s Club took an interest in this exciting new project and helped raise funding. The project was ultimately financed by a bond issued to the Park District, along with a substantial contribution from the Lion’s Club.
Lincoln Place Park, named for an adjacent street, is a triangular parcel of land approximately one-half acre in size. In 1961 this site was donated to the Park District by the Highland Park Hospital Foundation.
Olson Park is named in honor of a former Park Commissioner, Arthur W. Olson, who served the District for 29 years, from 1933-1961. The park contains 20 acres of land, nine of which belong to School District 107. The remaining acreage was acquired in January 1962, by donation from School District 107.
Fink Park, originally named South Skokie Park, then Deer Creek Park, contains 75 acres. The park was purchased for $220,966 in 1963 and consists of four parcels of land. The park was renamed Larry Fink Memorial Park in memory of Larry Fink who died in an airplane crash in May 1979.
Heller Park, originally named Half Day Park, contains approximately 96 acres. The park consists of five major parcels of land acquired between the years 1963 and 1977 at a cost of approximately $400,000.
Highmoor Park, named for an adjacent street was purchased for $46,872 in 1964 and is made up of 48 parcels of land and contains 10 acres of land.
Woodridge Park contains a little over 11 acres and was purchased for $83,000 in 1964.
Buckthorn Park, named for the vacated street which it occupies, contains approximately one-half acre of land. This site was transferred to the Park District from the City of Highland Park in 1967.
Centennial Park, originally referred to as Skokie Highlands, contains 73 acres. It is made up of approximately nine major parcels acquired between the years 1963 and 1972. The park was opened and dedicated in 1969 during the City of Highland Park’s Centennial year and so named in its honor.
Red Oak Park is named for the adjacent subdivision and is approximately one acre in size. It was acquired from the City of Highland Park through a quit claim deed dated January 27, 1969.
Sleepy Hollow Park was named for its secluded location and flood plain character. The site was acquired partly in 1969 and 1973 from the City of Highland Park. The site contains approximately 15 acres of land.
Cloverdale Park named for an adjacent street, contains approximately seven acres. This site was acquired between 1972, 1973 and 1980 at a cost of $82,500.
Leonardi Park, originally called Grange Park, contains three acres of land, and was donated to the Park District by Mr. & Mrs. John Leonardi in 1972.
Centennial Ice Arena is located at the north end of the park. Construction began in 1972 and the facility opened in 1973. $690,000 in revenue bonds were sold to finance construction of this facility. In June 1994 the Ice Arena underwent major renovations for approximately $900,000.
Deer Creek Indoor Tennis and Racquetball Courts is located at the northern end of Fink Park. The tennis center opened in 1976 with six tennis courts and four racquetball courts. The facility cost $976,000 to build and was financed through a ten-year contract purchase.
Construction began in 1979 and the park and center were officially dedicated as the Walter E. Heller Nature Park and Interpretive Center on November 8, 1980, in memory of Walter E. Heller of the Heller Foundation. Generous donations from the Foundation and family members, plus a Federal grant in the amount of $200,000, enabled the District to fund construction of the center. Completion of the project was financed by a $650,000 bond issue in 1980 and two bond issues in 1981: one for $840,000 and another for $710,000.
The administrative offices for the Park District are located in what was once West Ridge School. The District leased the building from School District 108 and moved their offices to this location in 1979, remodeling the building. It is now called West Ridge Center and serves the west side of Highland Park. Major improvements to the building were financed as part of bond issues in the amounts of $985,000 in 1978; $360,000 and $325,000 in 1979. In the summer of 1993, the Park District took over ownership of West Ridge Center.
Memorial Park is leased by the Park District from the City of Highland Park and its name originates from the fact that it is a memorial commemorating World War I heroes from Highland Park.
The Park Board decided the time had come to replace the 33-year-old Twin Pools with a new and exciting aquatic center. The new “AquaPark”, would be built on same site as the existing facility and would cost $4.5 million to complete. The project was funded through an intergovernmental agreement between the Park District and the City. The District gave adjacent land to the City to build a new fire station in exchange for the City funding the new aquatics center. The fire station stands today and is located to the east of the AquaPark.
Highland Park’s original Recreation Center was located at the Karger Center at 1850 Green Bay Road. In 2005 an addition was built onto the Highland Park Country Club and that add-on is home to the Recreation Center of Highland Park you know today.
Renovations included a new ADA compliant entrance, customer service desk, and lobby.
Based on community feedback, the sand play area was replaced with “Froggy’s SplashPad” a newly expanded water playground area with nature-themed water play structures that meander along the splashpad.
The $14.5 million renovation project completed in June 2015 was accomplished through extensive resident involvement, strong partnerships with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as part of the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration GLFER program. The USACE constructed breakwaters extending 200 feet into the lake forming three protected coves –nature, swimming and recreational. The beach was also expanded with 65,000 cubic yards of added sand. The Park District’s portion of the project included the construction of new environmentally friendly facilities including a one-of-a-kind beachfront Interpretive Center, concessions, restroom, and guard buildings — all connected by a 1,500-foot-long boardwalk and nestled against the wooded bluffs.
The project includes relocation of the Group Exercise studio to the lower level, creation of a new training studio for both personal and small group fitness training, reconfiguration of the fitness desk and lobby area, and expansion of the fitness floor square footage.
The center is located at the site of the District’s old Golf Maintenance building,1240 Fredrickson, on the west side of the Sunset Valley Golf Course. The new facility replaced both the 88-year-old Golf Maintenance Facility and the District’s 70+ year old Parks Maintenance Facility located south of the Sunset Valley clubhouse. Both facilities were inefficient and inadequate for the current and future needs of the Park District and Sunset Valley.
The 98-year-old golf course and 62-year-old clubhouse received an extensive $7 million renovation that took 18 months to complete. The new Sunset Valley is a British Heathlands course design with strategic landforms, flowing masses of native grasses and groves of trees which harken back to the character and aesthetics of a 1920’s era golf course. The project included renovation of all tees, fairways, greens, bunkers as well as overall infrastructure, drainage, and storm water management. The remodeled clubhouse offers striking views of the course and features an expanded golf shop, the new “13ninety” restaurant, as well as a cozy lounge with fireplace.
The Park District acquired it in 2018 from the City for $500,000. The 100-acre property was the site of the Highland Park Country Club Golf Course, and the Park District transformed it into a unique natural area for passive recreation that includes green lawns, nature-based play areas, specialized native gardens, restored woodlands, and walking and biking trails that connect neighborhoods, downtown Highland Park, and regional biking trails. The opening date was Spring 2022.
On July 28, 2020, the Park District Board of Commissioners approved design services to renovate the Sunset Woods Park’s iconic Rocket Ship playground and Titanic Tides tot lot located on the western edge of the park. The Parks Foundation of Highland Park raise $25,000 to build a playground seating plaza between the new playgrounds. The playgrounds and seating area were open for play in August 2022.
High lake levels accompanied by intense storms over the past decade caused damage to the original breakwater wall/barge and concrete ramp at Park Avenue Boating Beach. These extreme weather conditions affected communities all along the Illinois Lake Michigan shoreline. The new Park Avenue Boating Facility breakwater and boat ramp grand re-opening celebration was held on July 19, 2023. The rejuvenated Boating Facility continues its legacy as a place where residents can come to restore their minds, bodies, and spirits through boating, fishing, social activities, walking, or simply sitting to enjoy the stunning views of Lake Michigan for generations to come.
Renovation of the facility included an improved drop-off area, parking lots, lobby, multi-purpose room, locker rooms, office space, and restrooms. The project was included in the Park District’s 2024 GreenPrint 10-year master plan. Though the renovation was slated to begin in 2020, it was delayed until September 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An additional unknown issue was uncovered on the rink floor during regular annual maintenance in June 2022. The Park District acted swiftly to conduct an exhaustive investigation of the facility and ice flooring system with an engineering firm. The findings confirmed that the building is structurally sound. However, the rink floor had been compromised and required complete replacement. That project was completed in Spring 2023.
