A Breath of Fresh Air

Vol. II No. 1 - FALL 1989

A unique and exciting exhibit about the development of Chicago neighborhood parks recently opened at the Chicago Public Library Cultural Center.

Jointly sponsored by the Chicago Park District and the Special Collections Department of the Chicago Public Library, the exhibit is titled “A Breath of Fresh Air - Chicago’s Neighborhood Parks of the Progressive Reform Era, 1900-1925.”

The exhibit opened to a standing-room-only reception on July 21 and will continue through November 11, 1989. Joining the crowd of park history enthusiasts were EHS’s own president, Kathy Gemperle, and board members David Gemperle and Bob Remer.

A delightful slide presentation by Park District preservation staff Julia Sniderman and William Tippens outlined the social and neighborhood forces which forged our park system, while making some interesting parallels to current issues facing our parks.

The exhibit is being held in the Grand Army of the Republic Museum in the Cultural Center (78 East Washington) and is open to the public Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Several programs are scheduled including a panel discussion on “The Preservation of Chicago’s Neighborhood Parks” to be held Monday, October 2, from 5:30 until 7:00 p.m. There will also be an interesting discussion on “Parks in the Twenty-First Century” on Wednesday, October 25, from 5:30 until 7:00 p.m.