Science & Nature
Should the Chicago Park District’s HQ Become ‘Commissioners Park’? Weigh in on the Proposed Name
The Chicago Park District’s headquarters building at Park 596. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
Ever since it opened to staff and the public in 2023, the Chicago Park District’s new 17-acre headquarters in Brighton Park has been known as Park 596.
A proposal is now on the table to give the site a snazzier name.
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, who took over as the district’s CEO and general superintendent in April, formally initiated the process to call the site Commissioners Park, in honor of the board of commissioners who govern the district and hold their monthly meetings at the park.
Some 75 Chicagoans have served as commissioners over the decades, Ramirez-Rosa said, coming from all walks of life — “men, women, Black, White, Latino.”
The name would honor these non-salaried public servants, past, present and future, he said.
There are two phases for naming or re-naming a park, according to the district’s guidelines.
Under the first phase, which the Park 596 proposal just entered, the public has 45 days to submit support or opposition.
Once that period has ended, and comments have been reviewed, the name can be recommended for Phase 2, at which time it would be presented to the board of commissioners for a vote.
Feedback can be submitted in various ways: by phone, mail, email or an online form.
The deadline to comment on the proposed Commissioners Park is June 29.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
