Map of Lincoln Park District Showing Present Park Area and Proposed Extensions

Proposed improvements to Lincoln Park in Chicago.

Known today as one of Chicago’s most iconic attractions and desirable neighborhoods, Lincoln Park had inauspicious beginnings in the decades following the city’s incorporation in 1833. Affluent residents with lakefront property rubbed shoulders with emigrant populations in the densely populated areas adjacent.

A public cemetery was opened on the property in 1837, but health concerns forced its closure and the first official park, named Lake Park, opened in 1864. It was renamed Lincoln Park the following year, after the assassination of the President. The Lincoln Park Commission was created in 1869, and despite setbacks from the 1871 Great Fire and severe storms in 1885, the park continued to develop and grow into the 20th century.

This map, created in 1915 under the direction of Chief Engineer George Donoghue, is a prime example of such development. It details proposed improvements that include nearly doubling the area of the park, extending the northern border to Devon Avenue. This new area would contain golf courses, a lakefront path, and the nearby U.S. Marine hospital. The existing park area is highlighted in green, emphasizing the scale of the proposed addition.

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