Winnemac Park
| Winnemac Park | |
|---|---|
| Location | 5100 North Leavitt Street, Chicago, IL, Chicago, Illinois[1] |
| Area | 22.38 acres (9.06 ha) |
| Established | 1910 |
| Owned by | Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools |
| Operated by | Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools |
| Public transit access | Brown Damen and Western 49, 49B, 50, 80, 92 UPN at Ravenswood |
| Website | https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/winnemac-park |
Winnemac Park is a park located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Portions of the park are owned by the Chicago Park District, while other portions are owned by Chicago Public Schools. The park is home to two public school buildings, as well as a Chicago Public Schools sports stadium used for Chicago Public League games. The park's stadium has also been used by various semi-professional sports teams. A portion of the park's landscape is dedicated to native prairie plant species.
Overview
The park is located in the Lincoln Square community of Chicago.[2] It takes its name from the adjacent Winnemac Street, which itself is named after Potawatomi chief name "Winamac", which meant "catfish" and was the name used by a chief who signed the 1795 Treaty of Greenville (in which Great Lakes tribes surrendered Chicago to the United States government), and who later fighting in alliance with the United States against the British in the War of 1812.[1]
Portions of the park are owned by the Chicago Park District (CPD), while other portions are owned by Chicago Public Schools (CPS).[1]
The park was first established in 1910 by the City of Chicago's Special Parks Commission, being constructed on land it leased from the Chicago Board of Education. The land had, which had previously been used as a small farm, was graded and landscaped into a park with numerous athletic fields. In 1929, the Board of Education constructed Amundsen High School in the northeast corner of the park. In 1937, it added Chappell Elementary School to the west of the high school.[1]
In 1993, ownership of the green space south of Winnemac Street was transferred from the Board of Education to the Chicago Park District, to be made an official part of the city's park system. In 2001, the Chicago Public Building Commission gave the CPD further ownership of a section of Winnemac Park south Winnemac Street measuring 14 acres (5.7 ha).[1]
The park was renovated in 1999 at a cost of $2 million. The renovation saw 200 new trees planted and a natural prairie area added to the park's landscape.[1]
Facilities
Amundsen High School and Chappell Elementary Schools are both located within the park.[1] Chicago Park District considers the park to be 22.38 acres (9.06 ha).[1]
Other facilities in the park include a field house,[3] and miscellaneous sports fields. The park is used for many youth sports activities.[1] In the mid-2020s, upgrades were made to the sports fields.[4]
Stadium
| Full name | Jorndt Field at Winnemac Stadium |
|---|---|
| Address | 5105 North Leavitt Street Chicago, Illinois United States |
| Owner | Chicago Public Schools |
| Operator | Chicago Public Schools |
| Capacity | 4,500 |
| Type | Stadium |
| Current use | Football, Soccer, track and field |
| Public transit | Brown Damen and Western 49, 49B, 50, 80, 92 UPN at Ravenswood |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1930s |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Tenants | |
| |
Inside the park is Winnemac Stadium, one of seven stadiums operated by Chicago Public Schools, which play host to Chicago Public League sporting events.[5] As of 2022, it was holding approximately 1,000 games each year.[6] Winnemac Stadium was constructed in the 1930s. Like the park, its takes its name from the Potawatomi chief name "Winamac". Since 2004, its sports turf has been named "Jorndt Field", after teacher Louis C. Jorndt.[5]
The stadiums grandstand is brick-clad, and has a seating capacity of 4,500.[7]
Many soccer teams have called the venue home over its history.[8] In the 1940s and 1950s, the Chicago Maroons and Chicago Vikings of the North American Professional Soccer League were a tenant of the stadium.[8][9] Edgewater Castle FC of USL League Two and USL W League began playing their home games at the venue for their men's and women's teams' 2026 seasons.[8]
The stadium was the venue for the finals of the 1956 National Challenge Cup (U.S. Open Cup).[2][10] On July 11, 2005, the Croatian national U21 team played a friendly at the stadium against the Chicago Fire of the MLS.[8]
The sports stadium was renovated in 2004 and renamed Jorndt Field after Louis C. Jorndt, who taught and coached at Amundsen from 1930 until 1953. His son Dan and his wife Pat donated $1 million for the renovation.[11] Football scenes for the movie The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008), about the life of Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, were filmed in Jorndt Field in April and May 2007.
Prairie area
A portion of the park measuring 3 acres (1.2 ha), dubbed the "Winnemac Natural Area"[12] "Winnemac Park Prairie", is planted with native prairie grasses and other prairie plants.[13] This was first added during the park's 1999 renovation.[1] Native prairie plant species in the natural area include the flowers rudbeckia hirta ("black-eyed susans") and symphyotrichum oolentangiense ("pale blue asters").[13] The natural area is divided into three separate sections,[12] which are protected by split-rail fencing. It includes a woodchip trail. Commonly spotted species in the natural area include squirrels, butterflies, birds,[13] with the latter two being attracted by its many flowering plants.[12]
The natural area is tended to by volunteers. who care for it by removing invasive weeds, planting native species, and collecting seeds from the native plants,[12][13] and removing litter.[12] The opportunity to participate in this work is offered a beyond-classroom educational experience for students at adjacent schools.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Winnemac Park". Chicago Park District. September 10, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
- ^ a b "Kings of The Cup". MIR97 Media. April 24, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ^ "Winnemac Fieldhouse". Chicago Park District. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ^ Hernandez, Alex V. (May 16, 2025). "Winnemac Park Construction Will Resume This Summer". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ^ a b "Facilities". Chicago Public Schools (IL). Retrieved March 5, 2026.
- ^ Sabino, Pascal (July 27, 2022). "Knute Rockne Stadium Won't Be Ready For Fall Sports After Renovation Delayed By Work Stoppage At Illinois Quarries". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ^ Bailey, Ryan (November 10, 2025). "Edgewater Castle FC Announces 2026 Entry Into USL League Two and USL W League". Edgewater Castle FC. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ a b c d Mullins, Gareth (December 3, 2025). "Edgewater Castle FC Announces Winnemac Stadium For 2026". Edgewater Castle FC. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ "Chicago Maroons — Kicking Back". Protagonist Soccer. April 17, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ^ Wangerin, David (2006). "Soccer In a Football World; The Story of America's Forgotten Game" (PDF). p. 103. ISBN 978-1-59213-885-2. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ Amundsen High School Alumnus and Spouse Announce $1 Million Dollar Donation Archived October 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e "Winnemac Park Natural Area". Chicago Park District. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "Winnemac Park Prairie" (PDF). Chicago.gov. Retrieved March 16, 2026.