Jack Van Voorst was a beloved principal at Jefferson Elementary School in the 1960s and 1970s, so it made sense to name the park adjacent to the school after him in 1979. The park has a baseball diamond and picnic tables, and soccer is often played here.
The Elmhurst Jaycees serves the community through fund-raising for worthy events, and in 1973 the group realized its goal of creating a small, neighborhood park for Elmhurst's littlest residents. The Jaycee Tot Lot is specially designed for children ages two to five. Renovations to the playground were completed in 2004 with a donation from the Jaycees, and the park now includes a sand table and a state-of-the-art soft surface to minimize injuries from falls.
Prior to the 1950s, the property now occupied by Eldridge Park was a landfill - swampy and unusable. Today, Eldridge is one of Elmhurst's most peaceful and versatile parks. Eldridge offers picnic areas, a playground, soccer and baseball fields, basketball, roller hockey, bike trails and a sledding hill. But one of the biggest draws to Eldridge is the lagoon, which is surrounded by huge weeping willow trees and is home to many types of wildlife. Residents often can be found fishing there or boarding a canoe at the boat launch for a trip down Salt Creek. The east and west sides of the park, separated by Salt Creek, are connected by a bridge that was built in 1983.
Residents who grew up in the neighborhood around Poplar and May Streets in the 1970s have fond memories of Washington School. A monument to the school remains at what is now Washington Park. The Park District purchased the school and its surrounding three acres in 1979, and one year later the school building was taken down and replaced with the park. Visitors enjoy picnics in the park, along with a playground, ball diamond and basketball court
Located at the north end of Elmhurst, East End Pool underwent a major renovation in 2006. The pool facility now offers a kiddie slide and wading pool, four lap swim lanes, a 3-meter diving board, a 1-meter diving board and a drop slide. Both pools in Elmhurst employ highly trained lifeguards, operate under the international water park safety program and offer both group and private swim lessons. Pool memberships, punch card admission and daily admission offer flexibility for residents, and the pools can be rented for parties of up to 200 guests. Call pool manager Sarah Lagesse at (630) 993-4724 with inquiries.
Named after the Rev. Msgr. William J. Plunkett, a priest at Immaculate Conception Parish in Elmhurst, Plunkett Park is a prime spot for baseball games under the lights. Immaculate Conception High School used the land for its athletic field prior to selling the property to the Park District in 1971. The school still hosts home games here. At the south end of Plunkett Park is Courts Plus, a center for health, sports and fitness run by the Elmhurst Park District. Courts Plus includes a lap pool, fitness center, racquet sports, a climbing wall and lots of group exercise classes.
Crescent Park is an example of the Elmhurst Park District's mission of preserving open space. Although the park doesn't have a playground, it is a neighborhood spot to throw a ball around or have a picnic on the lawn.
York Commons Park is always alive with activity during the summer. With its picnic tables, ball diamond, soccer field, skate park and swimming pool, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The land also includes the Elmhurst Fire Department, which was recently reconstructed. In 2000, a major renovation involved the creation a new pool with a water park named after Norman P. Smalley for his service as a park commissioner.
Marjorie Davis Park is on the site of the former Roosevelt School, which opened in 1992 and was demolished in 1980. More than 16,000 children had been educated there. Marjorie Davis taught at the school for more than 30 years and the park was dedicated to her in 1981.
Berens Park truly has something for everyone. The original land was acquired by the park district over the course of three years in the mid-'60s, and the park was named after the founder of the Elmhurst Historical Commission, Helmut Berens. The Park District expanded the park in the mid-'70s, and in May 2002, it purchased MacCormac College and turned it into a community center at the north end of the park.
Berens features five lighted ball diamonds, three sand volleyball courts, 12 lighted tennis courts, five irrigated soccer fields, a walking/running path, parking for 600 cars, a 10,000-square-foot playground, batting cages, an 18-hole miniature golf course, 6,000-square-foot sprayground, a pavilion for parties and meetings, concessions, a sledding hill and more.
Before Elmhurst Hospital constructed its helipad, helicopters made emergency landings and take-offs from Golden Meadows Park near East End Pool. Today, 20-foot squared garden plots are available to the public for a nominal fee. The Park District tills and stakes areas for planting.
Wagner Community Center offers year-round gymnastics and tumbling classes, as well as yoga and fitness classes, preschool, performing arts classes and general interest classes. The center's namesake, Joanne B. Wagner, was an Elmhurst park commissioner for 29 years and guided many improvements throughout the Park District, including the construction of Courts Plus and Sugar Creek Golf Course. The Park District purchased the building and surrounding land in 2003.
Not too far from the hustle and bustle of the intersection of Route 83 and St. Charles Road, at the corner of West Avenue and Surf Street, is a quiet little refuge called Ben Allison Park. The park, developed in 1950, was named in honor of a former Elmhurst mayor who served from 1957 to 1961. The park includes a picnic area, playground equipment, a baseball diamond and a small sled hill.
Wilder Park can perhaps be considered the crown jewel of Elmhurst. It sits in the center of town and is home to museums, the Elmhurst Public Library, Veterans Memorial, picnic areas, tennis courts, a playground, landscaped walkways and greenhouses. In the 1860s, Wilder Park was home to Seth Wadhams, who purchased the land and built a home called White Birch. The home also was owned by the Wilder family before the Park District purchased the land in 1921. Wilder Mansion eventually became the site of Elmhurst Public Library, and today, after several renovations, provides space for weddings, meetings and parties.
Located within Wilder Park on Prospect Avenue, the Wilder Park Conservatory features a variety of flora, hosting flower shows and other community events throughout the year. Visit the web page for information about the conservatory's history.
The final resting place for Elmhurst's first village president, Henry Glos, and his wife Lucy, forms the centerpiece of Glos Memorial Park. Founded in 1979, the memorial park's mausoleum and the surrounding land is just on the other side of the underpass from the Glos Mansion, which is the home of Elmhurst Historical Museum. Visitors can walk through or picnic among the manicured gardens which surround the mausoleum.
Crestview Park was developed as a neighborhood park in 1967, then the park district purchased the land from the school district in 1971. On-site are picnic tables, a playground, baseball diamond, tennis court, sled hill, roller hockey, basketball courts and a soccer field sprawled across more than 11 acres of land.
The Elmhurst Park District maintains nearly two dozen parks, two public swimming pools and numerous programs run out of several different facilities throughout town. The park district was formed in 1921 "for the greater good of the community," according to its founders. The founding principles of community, communication, compassion and commitment still guide the park district's mission today. The body is known for its intergovernmental agreements with the city, Elmhurst College, the Y and Elmhurst Unit District 205, and is the largest employer of teens in Elmhurst. Hundreds of volunteers have logged thousands of hours and saved the district about $1 million. The district recently restored the historic Wilder Mansion for $3.7 million, and the building now can be rented for weddings, fundraisers, meetings and private events. The district offices are located next door to the mansion in Wilder Park, which is also the site of picnics, parades, museums, monuments and gardens.