Brighton Park Brings Green Into the Neighborhood

New Park District in Brighton Park

A new Chicago Park District Headquarters is set to open in 2023 in the Brighton Park neighborhood. The 17-acre campus is expected to cost around $65 million to build. Park District Officials have been planning this project for years and now it’s finally going to be completed.

More than 12 locations were considered for this new park. However, the Park District chose Brighton Park because of the value it will provide to that community. Director of Development Heather Gleason said that the new headquarters and campus will help bring changes to the community. Over the years, Brighton Park has been portrayed as a ghetto, violent community. This project is expected to help bring a new positive image to Brighton Park.

On July 15 2021, workers started the groundbreaking ceremony at 4800 South Western Avenue. This location had previously been an abandoned industrial property. The city purchased the property for $8 million back in 2018. The new district headquarters and campus is located in-between two other park locations: McKinley Park and Gage Park.

What The Campus Will Hold

The main goal of this project is to better the neighborhood and provide community spaces. The campus will house a 58,000-square-foot administrative building. Not only will this be a better headquarters for Park district workers, but it will also provide the neighborhood with a vast park space. Within the campus, there will be a 20,000-square-foot field house, along with a grand lawn filled with trees, two artificial turf fields, water fountains, and additional recreational areas.

This large campus will provide both indoor and outdoor recreational activities for all ages and the pathways provide beautiful natural scenery. Inside, the fieldhouse is expected to contain a gym with a full-sized basketball court, rooms for club activities, a teen center, and two fitness rooms. The fitness area will be split for different uses, one for group exercise and the other with many fitness machines, both with a window view of the courtyard. The big club room can be split into two smaller rooms and will have great views of the lawn as well.

The building will also have a second floor, although it will be mostly dedicated to the Chicago Park District staff and office areas. However, there will be an outdoor terrace above the field house. Along the roof, there will be a variety of plants.

These spaces will be available to be reserved by the public for events, meetings, and parties.

Opinions of Residents

However, some community members have shown worry. The new park has the potential to cause gentrification in the neighborhood that is primarily Hispanic. Gentrification is important because building a nice area will most likely raise property values and could start to attract higher-income families to Brighton Park. Not only that, but it may cause an increase in rent around the park, which some people currently living in Brighton Park may not be able to afford. Others from the community had stated that they felt there was not enough input from the people in the community and the local youth as well.

Although some are worried, there are many people in the community that are excited about this project. Brighton Park is a neighborhood with residential houses and apartments, community schools, industrial factories, and abandoned or vacant land. There are very little, to almost no parks or green land where residents can go. There are hundreds of people in Brighton Park that are always looking for playgrounds and places where they can be active and have fun. A group of local mothers said that they are looking forward to this because they will now be able to have a place where their kids can play outside. They, along with many others, hope this project is done well, and are looking forward to the grand opening.

Written by Alyssa Calderon and Adriana Castelan

Sources:

Block Club Chicago: New Park District Headquarters in Brighton Park Slated To Be Finished In 2023

Chicago Park District: Meeting Summary

Chicago Park District: Park No.596 Project Updates

WTTW: Park District Close to Breaking Ground on $64M HQ Campus That Will Create a New Park on Southwest Side

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Adriana Castelan

Inset Image Courtesy of Adriana Castelan