Berger Park
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Berger Park, officially Park #1255 of the
Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, several boat harbors, two botanic conservatories ...
, is a small () recreational area bordering
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in the Edgewater neighborhood of
North Side, Chicago Chicago is the third largest city in the United States with a population of 2,853,114 (2009). It is located in the state of Illinois, on the shores of Lake Michigan. The city is the county seat of Cook County. Geography of Chicago Chicago ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. The park features the historic Downey House and Samuel H. Gunder houses.


History

Edgewater was a suburb of Chicago, relatively rural until John Lewis Cochran developed land for lakefront homes in 1885. Four years later, the town was annexed by Chicago. Cochran prohibited the construction of apartment buildings along
Sheridan Road Sheridan Road is a major north-south street that leads from Diversey Parkway in Chicago, Illinois, north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border and beyond to Racine. Throughout most of its run, it is the easternmost north-south through street, closest ...
, and this plan was continued until the 1940s. The two houses in Berger Park were part of Cochran's Second Addition to Edgewater.


Downey House

The Downey House, now known as the South Mansion, was built for Joseph Downey. Downey was an Irish immigrant who was a partner in a contracting firm. He became a prominent businessman, serving as the chairman of the Buildings and Grounds Commission, on behalf of the
Chicago Board of Education The Chicago Board of Education serves as the board of education (school board) for the Chicago Public Schools. The board traces its origins to the Board of School Inspectors, created in 1837. The board is currently appointed solely by the mayor ...
, and as a member of the Chicago Association of Commerce. During
George Bell Swift George Bell Swift (December 14, 1845July 2, 1912; buried in Rosehill Cemetery) served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1893; 1895–1897) for the Republican Party. He was selected to replace the assassinated Carter Harrison, Sr. as Mayor pro tem ...
's mayorship from 1895 to 1897, Downey was the Commissioner of Buildings and of Public Works. Swift's successor,
Carter Harrison, Jr. Carter Henry Harrison IV (April 23, 1860 – December 25, 1953) was an American newspaper publisher and Democratic politician who served a total of five terms as mayor of Chicago (1897–1905 and 1911–1915) but failed in his attempt to becom ...
, named him to the Board of Education. He married Lena Kleine in 1885 and the pair commissioned
William Carbys Zimmerman William Carbys Zimmerman (1856–1932) was an American architect. He was the Illinois State Architect from 1905 to 1915, designing many state-funded buildings, especially at the University of Illinois. He was a partner of Flanders & Zimmerman. Bi ...
to design a house in 1906 for $20,000. Downey retired in 1911, and by 1920, they had left the house.


Gunder House

The Gunder House, officially the North Lakeside Cultural Center, was built for Samuel Gunder. Gunder was the president of the Pozzinni Pharmaceutical Company. He married Nettie E. Weaver in 1884 and commissioned this building in 1909. Myron Henry Church designed the house, which was completed the following year. The Gunders sold the house in 1919 and moved to
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. During the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, the Chicago Bureau of Parks and Recreation sought to add beachfront land on the north side of the city. Edgewater residents were interested in beach activities, but lived too far from
Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...
. The bureau acquired the properties and named it Granville Beach and Park after nearby Granville Avenue. Residents still lived in the two houses until the Viatorian Fathers acquired them in the 1940s. The Clerics of St. Viator used the buildings to house student priests. In 1945, they converted the two coach houses into additional residences. The order sold the rights to the beachfront land to the Chicago Park District in 1965 and moved out in 1979. The park district built a small playground along Granville Avenue in 1976. When the clerics moved out in 1979, developers sought to purchase the houses and demolish them for high-rise apartments, which now dominated the Edgewater lakefront. The Edgewater Community Council opposed this type of sale and convinced the park district to purchase the houses. The clerics agreed on the condition that the buildings be used for non-profit purposes. The sale was completed for $2.3 million, far less than the $6 million developers offered. Following the acquisition, the park was renamed Berger park after Albert E. Berger, a proponent of the bureau's plan to acquire beachfront property. In 1982, the park district determined that the Gunder House was dilapidated beyond repair. The district agreed to delay demolition to give local residents to opportunity to raise funds for its rehabilitation. By 1987, enough money had been raised to save the structure, thanks in large part to a $216,000 contribution from the Community Development Block Grant. Ronald Berger, the son of Albert, made a matching donation. The grounds were recognized by the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
with a listing on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on January 12, 2010.


Present day

Faced with an eroding shoreline, the park district commissioned the Army Corps of Engineers to design an embankment along the shoreline. Although this caused the loss of the remaining beach, it preserved the remaining parkland. The small playground was removed and a new playground was built on the north side of the Gunder House. The Downey House is now called the South Mansion and functions as a recreational facility for the park. The Gunder house was converted to the North Lakeside Cultural Center, offering workshops and classes. Its coach house is now a café.


References

{{Chicago Parks North Side, Chicago Historic districts in Chicago Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Urban public parks 1906 establishments in Illinois Chicago Landmarks