Local Landmarks & Heritage
Local Landmarks & Heritage
- Vittum Park
- Vittum Park Fieldhouse (1981)
- Frank Baum Elementary School
- Cicero Avenue corridor
Neighborhood History
Neighborhood History
Vittum Park takes its name from Harriet Elizabeth Vittum, a social reformer who joined Chicago's Northwestern University Settlement as a volunteer in 1904 and served as its Head Resident from 1907 to 1947, earning a reputation as the "First Lady of the needy" for her work improving housing and recreation for the poor. The Chicago Park District acquired the land for her namesake park between 1947 and 1953 as part of a Ten Year Park Development Plan addressing the postwar population boom in Garfield Ridge.
The park's fieldhouse wasn't completed until 1981, decades after the grounds themselves opened, and a small portion of the site was transferred to the Board of Education in 1961 to build Frank Baum Elementary School next door. Together, the park and school have anchored the neighborhood for generations of Southwest Side families.
For anyone who grew up playing ball on these fields, MY-NHD's Vittum Park tee is a way to carry that neighborhood history with you.
MY-NHD
Vittum Park - Chicago - Unisex Cotton Tee
Vittum Park - Chicago - Unisex Cotton Tee
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Vittum Park is named for Harriet Elizabeth Vittum, head resident of the Northwestern University Settlement from 1907 to 1947. The Chicago Park District acquired its namesake park in Garfield Ridge between 1947 and 1953.
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