According to the park district site, Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave., is on the site of the former golf club grounds:
Warren Park was created in the 1970s, born of both conflict and cooperation. The controversy began in 1965 when real estate developers offered to purchase the 94-acre private Edgewater Golf Club for $7.6 million from its members. Soon after the community learned that the buyers wanted to build high-rise apartments and a large shopping center on the site, a coalition of local groups known as the Allied North Side Community Organizations launched a major campaign to save the land as open space. Despite the strong community objection, however, the City re-zoned the site in 1968 to allow development to move forward.Original badge available (at time of writing) here: Edgewater Golf Club
When the city failed to support the park scheme, the commuity groups solicited the support of the State Government. In 1969, Governor Ogilvie signed a bill to make the private golf course into a state park. The governor announced that this would be "the first major state park in Illinois created in an urban area. By bringing a park to the people, instead of requiring them to go to a distant park, we shall mark an historic turning point in the battle to preserve open lands."
2 comments:
My brother and I wanted to be caddies at this great northside club, but didn't make the cut.
The victory by local community groups in the 49th and 50th wards was truly remarkable given the times. During the 60s few people defeated the "machine."
According to the park district site, Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave., is on the site of the former golf club grounds: tdhuu
Post a Comment