Campus Parks Program

The campus park at Stewart Elementary School was unveiled in 2008.

Launched in 1997, the Campus Parks Program was a $50 million joint effort between the Public Building Commission, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Park District to create new green spaces across the city.

The parks are meant to serve not only as a playground for children, but also as community meeting spaces that entire neighborhoods can enjoy.

“In addition to our neighborhood parks, schools serve as community centers,” said Chicago Park District General Superintendent David Doig. “The Campus Park program presents an opportunity to improve upon the school grounds and create an enjoyable and useful environment even when class isn’t in session.”

The initiative was launched as a result of Mayor Daley’s vision to replace concrete and asphalt with green open spaces. The campus parks are anchored by local public schools and can include playgrounds, baseball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts and running tracks.

“This program is a great example of different city departments and agencies working together with the community to revitalize neighborhoods. These places serve as neighborhood anchors in the way a public school building ought to.”
- Mayor Richard M. Daley

“The more that we improve the learning environment at our schools, the more our kids will improve in the classroom,” said Chief Education Officer Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins. “Campus parks provide a safe area for children to spend their time and participate in activities during and after school.”

The city has built more than 110 campus parks throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods for a total of 260 acres of new parks and playgrounds at public schools, increasing the amount of open space and providing a safe, positive alternative for children after school where they can keep active and engaged in recreational activities.

Between 1989 and 2010, 1,516 acres of new public open space were added in Chicago.

Campus Park Features

Playgrounds
Rubberized ground covering
Turf fields
Open spaces
Walking paths
Benches
Drinking fountains
Landscaping
Shade trees
Safety fencing
Ornamental lighting
Ornamental fencing
Additional parking
Bicycle racks
Trash receptacles and compactors

Project Locations

Bontemps School Campus Park

Graeme Stewart Campus Park

Charles Wacker Campus Park

Mount Vernon School Campus Park

Phillip Rogers School Campus Park

Elihu Yale School Campus Park

Daniel J. Corkery School Campus Park

Walt Disney School Campus Park

Ulysses S. Grant School Campus Park

Hiram H. Belding School

Turner-Drew Language Academy Campus Park

William H. Brown School Campus Park

R. Nathaniel Dett School Campus Park

Lincoln Park High School/Oz Park

William P. Gray School Campus Park

John A. Walsh School Campus Park

Jonathan Burr School Campus Park

Peirce School Campus Park

Stone Scholastic Academy Campus Park

Daniel Hale Williams School Campus Park

Frederick Funston School Campus Park

James Otis School Campus Park

Raymond School Campus Park

Franklin Fine Arts Center Campus Park

Brian Piccolo School Campus Park

Lorenz Brentano School Campus Park

Irving Park Middle School Campus Park

John H. Hamline School Campus Park

Jane Addams School Campus Park

Stephen A. Douglas School Campus Park

Martha M. Ruggles School Campus Park

Theophilus Schmid School Campus Park

Stephen K. Hayt School Campus Park

Rufus M. Hitch School Campus Park

Shoop Academy Campus Park

Daniel S. Wentworth School Campus Park

John Gregory School Campus Park

Lake View High School Campus Park

Oscar F. Mayer School Campus Park

Senn High School Campus Park

Touhy/Herbert School Campus Park

Richard Yates School Campus Park

James Monroe School Campus Park

Joyce Kilmer School Campus Park

Enrico Fermi School Campus Park

South Loop School Campus Park

Parkside Community Academy Campus Park

Frank W. Gunsaulus School Campus Park

James Wadsworth School Campus Park

Michael M. Byrne School Campus Park

Charles Sumner School Campus Park

Alfred David Kohn School Campus Park

Nicholson School Campus Park

Alex Haley School Campus Park

King/Price School Campus Park

William P. Nixon School Campus Park

Leslie Lewis School Campus Park

J. W. Von Goethe School Campus Park

Horace Mann School Campus Park

Charles W. Earle School Campus Park