Parks plans approved today by City Council will upgrade a neighborhood field house, preserve a local nature center, and provide for new playground equipment at three South Side locations.

Eden Place Nature Center
4300 block of South Stewart Avenue
Eleven City-owned parcels at the southwest corner of West 43rd Place and South Stewart Avenue will be sold to Fuller Park Community Development Corp. to ensure the long-term public use of the Eden Place Nature Center, a 1.4-acre urban oasis that originally opened in 2001. The bulk of the nature center, which includes a native prairie, wetlands, a greenhouse and community garden, is already owned by the corporation. The parcels will be sold to the group for $1 each.

Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens
1801 S. Indiana Ave.
The field house at the Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens will be renovated through $3.8 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) assistance. The three-story structure will receive a new roof, ventilation systems, and masonry repairs, as well as a new fitness center, activity rooms, office space, and restrooms. The upgrades will be in addition to $1.1 million allocated by the Chicago Park District for renovations to the first floor.

Coliseum Park
1466 S. Wabash Ave.
The .6-acre Coliseum Park will be improved with new playground equipment, an expanded dog area, and new landscape upgrades through $500,000 in TIF assistance. The park is named in honor of the Coliseum, an arena and exhibition hall that was a defining feature of South Wabash Avenue until 1982.

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