Danny Cunniff Park was first referred to as the Skokie Highlands and was acquired between 1963 and 1972. The park was opened to the public and dedicated in 1969 during the City of Highland Park’s centennial year and was named Centennial Park. 

The Park was renamed, remodeled and dedicated in 1999 after the Park District received the largest private donation ever from the family of Danny Cunniff. During Danny’s brief but valiant battle with acute myeloid leukemia, which he ultimately succumbed to 37 days after his diagnosis, Tim and Jill Cunniff were deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support they received from the community of Highland Park.

Through the generosity of the Cunniff family, and a matching state grant, a renovation project was undertaken in 1999 to improve the park’s two existing soccer fields and add two new fields to the complex. In 2002, the park was named the Sports Turf Managers Association Soccer Field of the Year. 

The Park is home to the Centennial Ice Arena located at the north end of the park. Construction began in 1972 and the facility opened in 1973.

Don’t have a good sled hill in your neighborhood? Well, hop on your sled and slide on over to the big hill at Danny Cunniff Park! This hill is located toward the back of the park, just south of Centennial Ice Arena. This is an unsupervised activity. Sledding is fee-free and open to the public.