Ping Tom Memorial Park

Infobox park
park = Ping Tom Memorial Park

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image size =
caption = The riverfront pavilion in Ping Tom Memorial Park
type = public park
location = Chinatown, Chicago
coordinates = coord|41|51|25|N|87|38|5|W|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title
size = convert|12|acre|ha
opened = 1999-10-02
operator = Chicago Park District
visitors =
status =

Ping Tom Memorial Park is a 12 acre public urban park in Chicago, Illinois near Chinatown, Chicago, located at 19th Street and the South Branch of the Chicago River. It is owned and operated by the Chicago Park District.

The park was designed by Ernest C. Wong of Site Design Group, Ltd. The park is unique because it has many Chinese accents, including a riverfront pavilion and bamboo gardens. It also has a playground. In the summer, the park is a popular destination, especially when the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce organizes a dragon boat race.

In 2008, the [http://www.chicagowatertaxi.com/docks/chinatown/ Chicago Water Taxi] added weekend service to the park.

History

The Chicago Park District acquired the site for the park in 1991. It was formerly a rail yard. After the construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway in the 1960s, nearby parks, Hardin Square and Stanford Park, were demolished. Residents of Chinatown waited about thirty years for a replacement. On October 2, 1999, the park was dedicated after Ping Tom, a local business and community leader who was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the park.

In 2005, members of the community, including the Chinese American Development Corporation, privately commissioned a bust of Ping Tom that was made in China. It was installed in the park to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death.

In 2002, the Chicago Park District acquired five additional acres north of the 18th street bridge to expand the park, where there is already a baseball field. Residents hope to have a field house built someday.

As of 2008, the Chicago Park District is in the process of approving a design for a part of phase two of the expansion of the park, which is located on approximately 5.9 acres of land along the Chicago River and to the north of the 18th street bridge. The landscape design is again by Site Design Group, Ltd.

Awards

* [http://www.friendsofdowntown.org/awards.html Best Open Space, Friends of Downtown (2000)]
* [http://www.lisc-cnda.org/2001.php Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence (2001)]
* [http://www.site-design.com/awards.htm Honor Award, American Society of Landscape Architects (2000)]

Trivia

Season 6 of The Amazing Race, a show on CBS ended in the park. [ [http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race6/show/ep12/index.shtml Finish of the Amazing Race] ]

Notes

ee also

*Chinatown, Chicago
*Ping Tom

External links

* [http://pingtompark.org Ping Tom Memorial Park Advisory Board Page]
* [http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/parks.results/sort/name.cfm?keyword_park=ping+tom Chicago Park District page]
* [http://chicagochinatown.org Chinatown Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://site-design.com Site Design Group, Ltd.]
* [http://chicagoriver.org/home/index.php Friends of the Chicago River]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=302+e.+19th+street,+chicago,+IL&sll=41.860612,-87.678967&sspn=0.058299,0.172005&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=41.856569,-87.635311&spn=0.003644,0.01075&t=k&om=1 Satellite view from Google maps]