Chicago Women's Park & Garden

Chicago-Women’s-Park-Garden-WWP

Photo credit - WWP team

3.23 acres of landscaped grounds and community garden are dedicated to the women of Chicago and their contributions to the city throughout the years.

Designed by the architect Tannys Langdon and Landscape architect Mimi McKay, the park provides a quiet place to relax as well as a community center featuring a café, kids science labs, fitness studios, and an indoor children’s playgroud.

Between the rose garden and the apple orchard, you’ll pass by the Botanical Gardens Fountain. The path around the fountain is a symbol of a woman’s life, moving in and out of the roles and boundaries dictated by society.

You’ll also see the “Helping Hands” sculpture, a monument dedicated to Jane Addams – a reformer, activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The sculpture, made by Louise Bourgeios, is commemorating Addams’ efforts helping people in need and promoting women’s status.

Pay a visit to the Clarke House – the oldest surviving building within Chicago’s Historic District, and enjoy special events such as Outdoor Movies, Concert and Nature Theatre.

Chicago Women’s Park - Be Here 2019

Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens - In South Loop's Prairie Avenue Historic District
Be Here for exciting events and activities indoors and outdoors all year long

Chicago Park District year round programs
Midsommer Flight Shakespeare events
Women's Park Advisory Council Book Fair with Clifford The Big Red Dog
South Loop Beer & Cider Fest
Chicago Park District Toddler, Tunes, and Turtles,
Lakeside Bank Concert in the Park
Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance Easter Egg Hunt
Festival on Prairie Avenue - Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance
Clarke House Museum
Glessner House Museum
Chicago Park District Movies in The Park & Neighborhood Night Out
Kids Science Lab
Star Party with Chicago Astronomer
Chicago Park District fall Applepalooza
Chicago Park District Summer Camps
Chicago Park District Women's Park Fitness studio

Share:

This post is also available in:
Español

Official Website

Click here for more women-related places in Chicago Metro Area.



Watch and Learn More

 

We hope you enjoyed this article.
Please support us so we can write about more landmarks of pioneer women.
 
Donate

We hope you enjoyed this article.
Please support us so we can write about more landmarks of pioneer women.
 
Donate

Address

1801 S. Indiana Ave. Chicago, IL 60616



Chicago Women’s Park - Be Here 2019

Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens - In South Loop's Prairie Avenue Historic District
Be Here for exciting events and activities indoors and outdoors all year long

Chicago Park District year round programs
Midsommer Flight Shakespeare events
Women's Park Advisory Council Book Fair with Clifford The Big Red Dog
South Loop Beer & Cider Fest
Chicago Park District Toddler, Tunes, and Turtles,
Lakeside Bank Concert in the Park
Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance Easter Egg Hunt
Festival on Prairie Avenue - Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance
Clarke House Museum
Glessner House Museum
Chicago Park District Movies in The Park & Neighborhood Night Out
Kids Science Lab
Star Party with Chicago Astronomer
Chicago Park District fall Applepalooza
Chicago Park District Summer Camps
Chicago Park District Women's Park Fitness studio
Share:

This post is also available in: Español

Tags: Chicago Metro Area Places and Places in Illinois USA

Hidden

Next Steps: Sync an Email Add-On

To get the most out of your form, we suggest that you sync this form with an email add-on. To learn more about your email add-on options, visit the following page (https://www.gravityforms.com/the-8-best-email-plugins-for-wordpress-in-2020/). Important: Delete this tip before you publish the form.
Check out this fun, inspiring, and challenging activity about extraordinary women.
You'll also be subscribing to our monthly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime.

Shop & Support


Donate & Support
 
Our feminist project of wanderlust and equality-aspired community maps the HerStories of worldwide wonder women.
Explore the website for excellent guided tours, travel tips, unique landmarks, fun girlfriend getaways, events, and in-depth articles about gender, equality, space, and (not-told-enough) female legacy.

About the Project

 

Subscribe to
our Newsletter

“Helping-Hands”-Jane-Addams-Memorial-WWP
Memorial & Statue

“Helping Hands” Jane Addams Memorial

Chicago, IL, USA

The “Helping Hands” monument at Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens is a memorial to Jane Addams – a social reformer, women’s rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner who is known as the “mother of the social work movement.” This is the first major artwork in Chicago to commemorate a significant woman. The monument was created by the sculptress Louise Bourgeois in 1993. Bourgeois chose to commemorate Addams in a way that will present her legacy and impact and not just her status figure. The memorial is s series of black granite hands placed on stone pedestals. The hands, some rest alone and some holding other hands, are symbolizing the broad spectrum of people Addams reached out to, from all ages, races, and backgrounds, as well as Addams’ endless humanity and generosity towards people in need. It was initially dedicated on August 26th, 1996, Women’s Equality Day, on Chicago’s lakefront at Navy Pier Park. Due to vandalism and lakefront location, it was renovated and reinstalled in 2011 at Chicago Women’s Park.   Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
Fountain-Girl-–-Frances-Willard-Memorial-WWP
Memorial & Statue

Fountain Girl – Frances Willard Memorial

Chicago, IL, USA

A bronze statue of a young girl standing with bare feet on a stone, offering water to the people passing by. It was originally made in the 19th century as part of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) campaign to offer freshwater as an alternative to liquor. The WCTU recruited 350,000 children who signed abstinence pledges and donated pennies and nickels to create the drinking fountain. Made by George Wade, the statue was first displayed at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Copies of the statue were installed in other cities in the US and abroad. One is located in Portland, Maine, dedicated to Lillian Stevens, the president of the Maine WCTU and the second national president of WCTU. Another copy, erected in London, honored Lady Henry Somerset, president of the British WCTU. Throughout the years, the statue moved from one place to another until it was stolen from Lincoln Park in the 1950s. In 2012, the statue was reproduced and installed once again at the park. Today, the statue is known as Frances Willard Memorial, honoring the suffragist and the national president of the WCTU for 19 years. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
Frances-Willard-House-Museum-WWP
Museum

Frances Willard House Museum

Chicago, IL, USA

A museum and national historic landmark dedicated to the life and work of Frances Willard, a 19th-century social reformer and the president of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) – a women’s organization promoting national prohibition, Christian values, and woman suffrage. Willard House wasn’t only the home of her and her family, but also the headquarters of the WCTU, and a residence for its workers. Willard called the house ‘rest cottage’ for it has been a resting place between her WCTU activities. After her death, she left it to the organization. In 1900, the WCTU headquarters moved to the Annex, and the ‘Rest Cottage’ was opened as a museum and a memorial site for Frances Willard’s life and activities, as well as for the organization’s work and achievements throughout the years. The museum is located in the original family house, built in 1865. It has a collection of various original objects, including artworks, books, textiles, furniture, and family photographs. Visitors can learn about the lives in the 19th century, and how a family home became the headquarters of an activist movement, both a boarding house and a public space. There are also organized tours, talks, and special events, such as New Works in Women’s History Talk with the historian Sara Egge, and an open studio session with the artist Vanessa Filley. The Frances Willard House Museum is part of the ‘Tour Evanston Women’s History Map’, a self-guided tour of fifteen women’s historical sites throughout Evanston. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
Gwendolyn-Brooks-The-Oracle-of-Bronzeville-WWP
Memorial & Statue

Gwendolyn Brooks: The Oracle of Bronzeville

Chicago, IL, USA

A sculpture is honoring Gwendolyn Brooks – a poet and author, the first African-American to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. In her poems, she used to write about everyday people and problems and believed that poetry can change the world. Dedicated on June 7th, 2018, this is the first sculpture of an African-American woman in a Chicago public park. The bronze portrait, made by Margot McMahon, is surrounded by a circle of sitting-stones. McMahon created the sculpture to educate people about Brooks’s life and legacy by engaging with the statue. A step-stone path, inscribed with quotations from Brooks’ award-winning poetry book “Annie Allen,” leads the visitors to a wooden porch which represents the one in Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, where the poet wrote her first poems as a child. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
View all

 

*Disclaimer: Please be aware that the information on this page is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. Learn more here.