Ping Tom Memorial Park
| Ping Tom Memorial Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | Public park |
| Location | Chinatown, Chicago |
| Coordinates | 41°51′25″N 87°38′5″W / 41.85694°N 87.63472°W |
| Opened | October 2, 1999 |
| Operated by | Chicago Park District |
| Status | Open all year |
| Website | Ping Tom Memorial Park |
Ping Tom Memorial Park is a 17.24-acre (6.98 ha) public urban park in Chicago's Chinatown owned and operated by the Chicago Park District (CPD). Located on the south bank of the Chicago River, the park is divided into three sections by a Santa Fe rail track and 18th Street. Currently, only development in the area south of 18th Street has been completed. It was designed by Ernest C. Wong of Site Design Group and features a pagoda-style pavilion, bamboo gardens and a playground. The park is named in honor of prominent Chinatown businessman and civic leader Ping Tom; a bronze bust of Tom is installed near the park's pavilion.
In 1962, the construction preparations for the Dan Ryan Expressway demolished the only two parks in the Chinatown area. Sun Yat-sen Playlot Park, a small, 1/3-acre park, was created in the mid-1970s, however, the community wanted a larger open park space. A private real estate firm formed by Ping Tom, then purchased a former 32-acre (13 ha) rail yard in 1989. After construction of Chinatown Square began on this property, the CPD purchased approximately 6 unused acres along the Chicago River in 1991, along with an additional 6 acres that extended along the river, north of 18th Street. The southern-half of the area then underwent significant development, as the retaining wall along the river was repaired and an at-grade rail crossing was installed at the park's western boundary. Construction then began in 1998 and concluded in fall 1999 at a total cost of $5 million. The park was officially opened on October 2, 1999.
In 2002, the Chicago Park District acquired five additional acres immediately east of the park's undeveloped northern half. The CPD has been planning a second development-stage of the park's nearly 11 undeveloped acres north of 18th Street. The plan calls for the development of the area's shoreline and access points, as well as the construction of a cultural arts and recreational facility and a boathouse. The project is estimated to cost $38 million. In September 2009, a $10 million budget was approved to start development on the six-acre area along the Chicago River.
History
In 1962, construction preparations for the Dan Ryan Expressway necessitated the demolition of Hardin Square and Stanford Parks,[1] the only two public parks that serviced the Chinatown community. In the mid-1970s, a small, 1/3-acre park was developed on a strip of land between 26th Street and the Stevenson Expressway; the Chicago Park District purchased the park in 1977 and named it Sun Yat-sen Playlot Park.[2] However, in a 1992 study, 75 percent of Chinatown's community leaders and 49 percent of business leaders felt that "the lack of open space in the Chinatown area is one of the most serious problems faclng the community", and both groups ranked it first among 15 community issues, including crime, education, housing and employment.[2] Community efforts to construct a larger park were impeded both a lack of funds and the absence of any suitable site.[3]
After fighting for decades for the construction of a new park in Chinatown,[4] civic leader Ping Tom formed the Chinese American Development Corporation (CADC), a private real estate firm, in 1984. Five years later, the firm purchased a former 32-acre (130,000 m2) Santa Fe rail yard and began construction on Chinatown Square, a $100 million residential and commercial development project.[1] Six acres along the Chicago River, however, were left untouched. The Chinatown community then formed the Chinatown Riverside Park Advisory Council to work with the Chicago Park District to assess the possibility of developing the remaining area into a public park. With the support of Park District Commissioner Raymond Lee, the Park District approved the proposal to purchase the land, along with an additional 6 acres that extended along the river northward to 16th Street in 1991.[3]
Tom died of pancreatic cancer in July 1995—three years before construction of the park began.[5] During a Chinatown Chamber of Commerce meeting held in March 1998, the Riverside Park Advisory Council suggested renaming the park in honor of Ping Tom,[3] the driving force behind the its creation.[6] The request was approved on August 3, 1998, and the park was renamed Ping Tom Memorial Park. The park was dedicated and officially opened by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley during an ceremony on October 2, 1999.[3] In 2005, the CADC and friends of the Tom family commissioned sculptor Liao Huilana to create a bronze bust of Ping Tom. The bust was dedicated and installed at the park on October 22, 2005.[3][7]
Design and construction
Ernest C. Wong of Site Design Group designed the park. Having designed landscape along Chinatown's Cermak Avenue, Wong was familiar with the community and invited the public to voice their opinions and ideas for the future park. The park's original design called for walled plazas inspired by traditional Chinese gardens in Suzhou, China. This design was scrapped, however, because of security and vandalism concerns. Instead, a system of pathways was created to link defined spaces and mimic courtyards.[8]
A pagoda-style pavilion based on a structure that Wong had seen in Suzhou is located near the park's eastern boundary—the Chicago River. Site Design Group designed the pavilion's ornamentation and railings and obtained its traditional Chinese roof tiles from a source in Japan.[8] The park's entrance is marked by four 20-feet-tall columns, each etched with Chinese dragons and is modeled after a traditional Chinese courtyard. The park containers Chinese-influenced gardens that include gingko trees and bamboo. A children's playground is located at the north end of the park.[9]
Businesses in Chinatown attempted to raise $200,000 to build an 11-story bell tower pagoda at the south end of the park. The tower was planned to be constructed of brick and stone with a hollow interior. While visitors would not have been able to climb the structure, they would have been able to walk through an entrance at its base. Chicago Sun-Times writer Lee Bey believed the bell tower to be the park's most important feature. Despite the Taiwanese government making an early commitment to help finance the tower, it was never constructed.[10]
Before construction of then-named Chinatown Riverside Park could begin on the strip of land south of 18th Street, the area required significant development. The entire western boundary of the park is a functioning Santa Fe rail track.[3] After unsuccessfully looking into possible underground or overground access, an at-grade rail crossing was constructed.[10] The US Army Corps of Engineers was then needed to restore the badly deteriorated shoreline of the Chicago River, the park's eastern boundary.[3] At a cost of $2 million, the project improved approximately 1,000 feet of the retaining wall and lowered the shoreline considerably from its previous position 10 feet above the river.[10][11] The land was also tested for any harmful contaminates from prolonged use as a rail yard. Once development was complete, construction began in 1998 and concluded in fall 1999 at a total cost of $5 million.[3][10]
Expansion
In 2002, the Chicago Park District acquired five additional acres immediately east of the park's six-acre undeveloped northern half.[1] With the acquisition of this land, the CPD has been planning a second development-stage—dubbed "Phase II"—of the park's nearly 11 undeveloped acres. The plan calls for the development of the area's shoreline and access points, as well as the construction of a cultural arts and recreational facility and a boathouse. The project is estimated to cost $38 million.[12]
In September 2009, the Chicago Park District’s Board of Commissioners entered into an agreement with the City of Chicago that approved the transfer of $10 million in tax increment financing (TIF) funds for the development of the park's six-acre area between the Chicago River and the Santa Fe rail track north of 18th Street. These funds will be used to build a retaining wall, fish habitats and sections of natural shoreline along the area's 875 ft of shoreline along the Chicago River. Open lawn and landscaped areas will be developed along with a fishing station and various pathways.[13]
Reception
Chicago Sun-Times writer Curtis Lawrence wrote that the park has a tranquil feel, while also "soak[ing] up the sights and sounds that move the city".[9] Named the "Best Undiscovered Park" by Chicago, the magazine echoed Lawrence's assessment, stating that "despite...urban intrusions, the six-acre park is a tranquil oasis".[14] In a case study of the park, Landscape Forms described the contrast between the park's traditional Chinese pavilion and the prominent Canal Street railroad bridge, as "a graphic metaphor for the layering of culture and history, tradition and change that defines the community."[15] Chicago historian Tim Samuelson agreed, saying that the park is an "incredible place" to see both old city and the new Chicago.[16] After praising the park's design, the Chicago Weekly went on to warn readers of the park's sole entrance, describing it as "maddeningly obscure".[17]
Ping Tom Memorial Park and its designer, Site Design Group, garnered awards for the park's design. The park was named 2000's "Best Open Space" by the Friends of Downtown.[18] Site Design Group was awarded the 2001 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence,[19] as well as a 2000 Honor Award by the American Society of Landscape Architects.[20]
Events
The Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy, started in 1999, is a philanthropic event held annually at Ping Tom Memorial Park. Every summer, teams participate in a dragon boat race tournament along the Chicago River while music, food and entertainment is provided for spectators. The proceeds raised from the event are used to support and promote local literacy, cultural and diversity programs.[21] The park also acts as the finish line to the Chicago River Flatwater Classic, an annual 7.25-mile canoe and kayak race.[22]
In 2004, the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce used hosted a free series of movies and concerts during their "Summer Fun in Chinatown" campaign.[23] In late September, the Chicago-based Redmoon Theater performed Sink. Sank. Sunk..., an outdoor play at the park. The performance was the first in an annual series of site-specific plays created to introduce audiences to undiscovered, often-overlooked Chicago locations. The performance included floating props in the Chicago River and also incorporated the park's active, surrounding trains into the act.
The season 6 finale of CBS' reality show The Amazing Race ended in Ping Tom Memorial Park. Contestants were instructed to make their way to the finish line in the park from a Gino's East pizzeria; however, after contestants hailed taxis, most of the drivers did not know where the park was located.[24]
Notes
- ^ a b c "Ping Tom Memorial Park". Chicago Park District. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
- ^ a b Zhang et al., 1998, pp. 341–342.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "History of Ping Tom Memorial Park". Ping Tom Park Advisory Board. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
- ^ Heise, Kenan (November 2, 2007). Chicago Afternoons with Leon. AuthorHouse. p. 38. ISBN 1434347370.
- ^ Cualoping, Irene (July 21, 1995). "Chicago APAs Lose a Leader: Businessman Ping Tom succumbs to pancreatic cancer". AsianWeek.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "About Ping Tom". Ping Tom Park Advisory Board. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "About Ping Tom". Ping Tom Park Advisory Board. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
- ^ a b "Spaceshaper: Interview" (PDF). Landscape Forms InSites. 1 (2): 7. 2004.
- ^ a b Lawrence, Curtis (September 6, 1999). "Chinatown cheers new park on river". Chicago Sun-Times. Newsbank. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Bey, Lee (February 1, 1999). "Celebrating Chinatown". Chicago Sun-Times. Newsbank. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ De Lafuente, Della (April 15, 1998). "New park to greet Chinatown visitors- Plans developing for site along river". Chicago Sun-Times. Newsbank. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ^ "Ping Tom Memorial Park: Framework Plan" (PDF). Chicago Park District. November 3, 2003. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ "Park District Receives Funding for Development of Ping Tom Memorial Park". Chicago Park District. September 9, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
- ^ "Best of Chicago", Chicago, vol. 93, Tribune Company, August
{{citation}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ "Ping Tom Memorial Park". Landscape Forms. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ Konkol, Mark (February 22, 2008). "Real Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Newsbank. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ "Best of the South Side 2009: Chinatown". Chicago Weekly. September 23, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ "Awards". Friends of Downtown. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ "Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence". The Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ^ "Ping Tom Memorial Park". American Society of Landscape Architects. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ Conklin, Mike (July 25, 2004). "Faces of Chicago: Racing for Literacy". Chicago Tribune. Newsbank. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ "Flatwater Classic". Friends of the Chicago River. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ^ Olivo, Antonio (July 18, 2004). "Chinatown 's new reach expands its old borders". Chicago Tribune. Newsbank. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Conklin, Mike (February 11, 2005). "How Do you get to Ping Tom Park?". Chicago Tribune. Newsbank. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
References
- Zhang, Tingwei; Gobster, Paul H. (1998). "Leisure Preferences and Open Space Needs in an Urban Chinese American Community" (PDF). Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. 15 (4). Locke Science Publishing Co.: 338–355. ISSN 0738-0895. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
External links
