Taylor Park
Continued investment in our parks and facilities is critical to the District’s mission. The Park Board’s policy states that each park site plan will be revisited and updated within a 10-year period. The Park District is in the process of revisiting each park site plan per this policy in order to identify additional park amenities desired by our residents, to budget strategically for these improvements and to be prepared for grant opportunities.
If you have questions or would like to provide feedback on park plans currently in progress, please contact Bill Hamilton, Superintendent of Parks & Planning. (opens email app)
Current Plan
Past Plans
Acquired in 1914, Taylor Park was originally called “North Park” but was subsequently named after the first President of the Park Board of Commissioners, Henry A. Taylor. Taylor Park was designed by Jens Jensen and still retains some of Jensen’s original design. The park sits on the edge of a moraine from the remains of what was once glacial Lake Chicago.
Taylor Park was identified as a potential site for a dog park during the 2006, Dog Park Site Master Plan process. The comfort station windows were replaced in 2007. The site master plan process was completed in 2008, and updated in 2017. Master plan improvements, completed in 2011, included: replacement/expansion of the existing playground with ADA accessible equipment, tennis courts replacement, installation of an open air shelter and new walkways in the interior of the park, and the establishment of a wetland-bioswale area to resolve drainage problems within the park site. New park landscaping was also added. In 2010, the District successfully received a State of Illinois Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in the amount of $400,000 to help fund these improvements. In 2014, the District installed irrigation for the playing surfaces. A new drainage system was installed with a donation from AYSO in 2017. The District also extended the Fen area to help with drainage and added native plantings to the area.
