Scoville Park

Last updated
Horse Show Fountain replica in the southeast corner of the park Oak Park Il Horse Show Fountain2.jpg
Horse Show Fountain replica in the southeast corner of the park

Scoville Park is a public park in Oak Park, Illinois. Designed by Jens Jensen, the Danish-American landscape architect, the park is located at the corner of Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue in the town's central Hemingway District, next to the Oak Park Public Library. The park is home to a war memorial for local veterans of World War I titled Peace Triumphant, the replica Horse Show Fountain, a meadow that hosts summer concerts and other village events, and a playground and tennis courts. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. [1]

Contents

A historical marker signifying the St. Lawrence Divide, which runs through Scoville Park Continental Divide Marker at Scoville Park.jpg
A historical marker signifying the St. Lawrence Divide, which runs through Scoville Park

History

Joseph Kettlestrings, the first white settler in the area that became Oak Park, acquired 173 acres (70 ha) of land from the federal government in 1833, including the area that is now Scoville Park. A plaque marking the spot of his second home is located in Scoville Park's southwest corner, near the library, although recent research indicates the house may have been farther west, just south and east of the present-day intersection of Harlem Avenue and Lake Street. [2] [3]

Monument to Joseph Kettlestrings Kettlestrings 3.jpg
Monument to Joseph Kettlestrings

In 1855, James Scoville bought the land that would become the park from Kettlestrings. [4] He built his estate, including a large white mansion, at the site of what is now the location of the park's Peace Triumphant statue, atop a ridge that marks a continental divide between the St. Lawrence River and Mississippi River basins. [5] Scoville later donated money to create the Scoville Institute, which eventually became the Oak Park Public Library, on land immediately next door to his house. [2]

Amid plans to convert Scoville's estate into a hotel, the Park District of Oak Park was created in 1912 and, in its first purchase, it bought the property for $135,637. [4] [6] [7] In 1913, the Scoville home was demolished and Jens Jensen drafted plans for the park.

Scoville Park underwent piecemeal changes through the years. It was renovated in 2012-2013 to make the park more open and align it more closely with Jensen's original plan. [8] In November 2018, developers announced plans for a 28-story high-rise immediately across the street from the park; the prospect of a high rise worried some that the building and its shadow would negatively impact both Scoville Park and the nearby Unity Temple, a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. The plans were officially withdrawn in March 2019. [9] [10]

Horse Show Fountain

The Horse Show Fountain, a 1969 replica of the 1909 original, is located at the park's entrance at the corner of Lake and Oak Park. The fountain is also known as the Wright-Bock Fountain, as the original is generally believed to be the product of sculptor Richard Bock and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The fountain was built by the local Horse Show Foundation to serve not only people, but also horses and dogs. [2]

The fountain was originally located 100 feet (30 m) to the west, on the curb at Lake Street, in front of the wrought-iron fence that surrounded the Scoville mansion and later served as the park boundaries. By the 1960s the fountain was deteriorating, so a replica was built with entirely new materials, and it was re-placed about 100 feet east, at the corner of the park. The fountain's original inscription was lost to history during the restoration. The new fountain was dedicated on June 8, 1969, on what was then believed to be the 100th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright's birth (he is now believed to have been two years older).

Oak Park-River Forest War Memorial (Peace Triumphant)

Ernest Hemingway's name on the Peace Triumphant statue Hemingway-Peace Triumphant.jpg
Ernest Hemingway's name on the Peace Triumphant statue
Peace Triumphant in 2018 Peace Triumphant.jpg
Peace Triumphant in 2018

The Oak Park-River Forest War Memorial, known as Peace Triumphant, is a memorial to the veterans of World War I located at the top of the hill on the park's north end. The monument was erected in 1925 by citizens of Oak Park and neighboring River Forest, who donated the $52,573.63 needed to build the granite and bronze monument to community members who fought in the war. [11] [12] The monument includes three bronze statues, representing the armed forces of land, sea and air. [12] The monument includes the names of 2,446 residents who served in World War I from Oak Park and River Forest, including Ernest Hemingway, who grew up nearby and sledded down the hill as a boy. [12] Vice President Charles G. Dawes attended the dedication, on Armistice Day, 1925. [12]

Peace Triumphant was restored in 2009-10. The foundations of James Scoville's house were discovered beneath the statue during its restoration in 2010. [13]

Percy Julian Bust

A bust of Percy Julian, the chemist, humanitarian, and long-time Oak Park resident, was unveiled in 2003, close to the library on the park's west end. [7] It was commissioned by the Institute for Science Education and Technology. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Manneken Pis</i> Brass sculpture and fountain in Brussels, Belgium

Manneken Pis is a landmark 55.5 cm (21.9 in) bronze fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium, depicting a puer mingens; a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Though its existence is attested as early as the mid-15th century, it was redesigned by the Brabantine sculptor Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in 1618 or 1619. Its stone niche in rocaille style dates from 1770.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Park, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in 1902, when it separated from Cicero. It is closely tied to the smaller town of River Forest, sharing Oak Park and River Forest High School. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife settled in Oak Park in 1889, and his work heavily influenced local architecture and design, including the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Over the years, rapid development was spurred by railroads and streetcars connecting the village to jobs in nearby Chicago. In 1968, Oak Park passed the Open Housing Ordinance, which helped devise strategies to integrate the village rather than resegregate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paseo de la Reforma</span> Wide avenue in Mexico City

Paseo de la Reforma is a wide avenue that runs diagonally across the heart of Mexico City. It was designed at the behest of Emperor Maximilian by Ferdinand von Rosenzweig during the era of the Second Mexican Empire and modeled after the great boulevards of Europe, such as the Ringstraße in Vienna and the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The planned grand avenue was to link the National Palace with the imperial residence, Chapultepec Castle, which was then on the southwestern edge of town. The project was originally named Paseo de la Emperatriz in honor of Maximilian's consort Empress Carlota. After the fall of the Empire and Maximilian's subsequent execution, the Restored Republic renamed the Paseo in honor of the La Reforma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Koshkonong</span>

Fort Koshkonong was a military fort located near the present-day city of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Intended to control the confluence of the Bark and Rock rivers, it was used as a station for local militia units and the U.S. regulars in the region to scout the British Band, a group of Native Americans who fought against government units during the 1832 Black Hawk War. General Henry Atkinson was the commander of the fort during the war. Black Hawk was in the same general area, but evaded capture and started to flee towards the Wisconsin River. The original fort was abandoned by the Army following the conflict. Local settlers dismantled it for the wood as the town developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Public Garden</span> Botanical garden in Boston, MA

The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common. It is a part of the Emerald Necklace system of parks, and is bounded by Charles Street and Boston Common to the east, Beacon Street and Beacon Hill to the north, Arlington Street and Back Bay to the west, and Boylston Street to the south. The Public Garden was the first public botanical garden in America.

Richard W. Bock was an American sculptor and associate of Frank Lloyd Wright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deutsches Eck</span>

Deutsches Eck is the name of a promontory in Koblenz, Germany, where the Mosel river joins the Rhine. Named after a local commandry of the Teutonic Order, it became known for a monumental equestrian statue of William I, first German Emperor, erected in 1897 in appreciation of his role in the unification of Germany. One of many Emperor William monuments raised in the Prussian Rhine Province, it was destroyed in World War II and only the plinth was preserved as a memorial. Following German reunification, a replica of the statue was erected on the pedestal after controversial discussions in 1993. It is today a Koblenz monument and a popular tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse Show Fountain</span>

The Horse Show Fountain, also known as the Wright-Bock Fountain, is located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The fountain, first erected in 1909, has been widely attributed to both sculptor Richard Bock and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Though the fountain currently stands at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street within Scoville Park, neither the fountain nor the location is original. Its original location was 100 ft from its present location, and the fountain was completely reconstructed in 1969 to replace the badly deteriorated original. The 4.6-acre (19,000 m2) Scoville Park is listed as a historic district in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, but the fountain – because it is a replica – is considered a non-contributing property to the listing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana World War Memorial Plaza</span> Historic district in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature and war memorial located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. It was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and nation's veterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperance fountain</span>

A temperance fountain was a fountain that was set up, usually by a private benefactor, to encourage temperance, and to make abstinence from beer possible by the provision of clean, safe, and free water. Beer was the main alternative to water, and generally safer. The temperance societies had no real alternative as tea and coffee were too expensive, so drinking fountains were very attractive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Park (Jersey City)</span>

Lincoln Park is an urban park in Jersey City, New Jersey with an area of 273.4 acres (110.6 ha). Part of the Hudson County Park System, it opened in 1905 and was originally known as West Side Park. The park was designed by Daniel W. Langton and Charles N. Lowrie, both founding members of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scoville Square</span> United States historic place

The Masonic Temple Building is a historic Prairie-style building in Oak Park, Illinois, at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street. It is in the Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District and was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of George B. McClellan</span> Equestrian statue in Washington, D.C.

Major General George B. McClellan is an equestrian statue in Washington, D.C. that honors politician and Civil War general George B. McClellan. The monument is sited on a prominent location in the Kalorama Triangle neighborhood due to efforts made by area residents. The statue was sculpted by American artist Frederick William MacMonnies, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts whose best known work is a statue of Nathan Hale in New York City. MacMonnies was chosen to design the statue following a lengthy competition organized by a statue commission, led by then Secretary of War William Howard Taft. The monument was dedicated in 1907, with prominent attendees at the ceremony including President Theodore Roosevelt, New York City mayor George B. McClellan Jr., politicians, generals and thousands of military personnel.

<i>The Ideal Scout</i>

The Ideal Scout, also known as The Boy Scout, is the most famous work by Canadian sculptor R. Tait McKenzie (1867–1938). The original statue stood in front of the Cradle of Liberty Council at 22nd and Winter Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1937 to 2013. Replicas can be found at Boy Scouts of America councils across the United States, as well as at Gilwell Park in London, England, and at Scouts Canada's national office in Ottawa. The Smithsonian American Art Museum's database lists 18 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Pollia</span> Italian-born American sculptor

Joseph Pasquale Pollia was an Italian-born American sculptor who created numerous monuments and war memorials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gore Park (Hamilton, Ontario)</span>

Gore Park is a town square or urban park located in downtown Hamilton, Ontario.

James Salvatore John Novelli was an Italian American sculptor known for his funeral and war memorials.

References

  1. ↑ "Scoville Place - Oak Park, IL - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  2. 1 2 3 "SCOVILLE PARK FOUNTAIN (1903 - S.094)".
  3. ↑ "Before Oak Park, there was Kettlestrings Grove". oakpark.com. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  4. 1 2 "Scoville Park Master Plan Update" (PDF). March 21, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Oak Park Continental Divide page". oprf.com. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  6. ↑ "History of the Park District of Oak Park | The Park District of Oak Park". pdop.org. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  7. 1 2 "Facility Description | The Park District of Oak Park". pdop.org. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  8. ↑ "Scoville Park master plan gets Park District of Oak Park OK. Now, how to pay for it?".
  9. ↑ Kamin, Blair. "Oak Park may get a new tallest tower. Will it mar the beauty of Wright's Unity Temple?". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  10. ↑ "Golub pulls plans for 28-story high-rise". www.oakpark.com. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  11. ↑ "Peace Triumphant: A war remembered". www.oakpark.com. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "The History and Theme of Peace Triumphant". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  13. ↑ "Restoring history, finding even more". oakpark.com. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  14. ↑ "Waymarking - A scavenger hunt for unique and interesting locations in the world". waymarking.com. Retrieved 2018-06-19.

41°53′22″N87°47′42″W / 41.88944°N 87.79500°W / 41.88944; -87.79500

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.