Davis Square
National Register of Historic Places

Davis Square

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Listed
August 17, 2003
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
03000787

About this property

Davis Square is a public park located between 44th and 45th Streets and Marshfield and Hermitage Avenues in the New City community area of Chicago, Illinois. The park opened in 1905 as one of the initial parks in the South Park Commission's plan to build parks in the dense, poor neighborhoods of Chicago's South Side. It was named for Nathan Smith Davis, a Chicago physician and one of the founders of the American Medical Association. As they did for most of the South Park Commission's parks, the Olmsted Brothers designed Davis Square's landscape, while D. H. Burnham and Company designed its facilities. The park initially included a Beaux-Arts styled fieldhouse, a swimming pool and pool house, baseball fields, and walking paths. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 18, 2003.

Location

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
41.81322, -87.66774

Categories

ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATIONSOCIAL HISTORYARCHITECTURELANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Davis Square

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Goldblatt Bros. Department Store
Industrial
0.4 mi
Cornell Square
Colonial
0.8 mi
Old Stone Gate of Chicago Union Stockyards
Civil War
1.1 mi
Sherman Park
Industrial
1.3 mi
Spiegel Office Building
Industrial
1.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Red Summer — Chicago Race Riot 1919
1919Modern
2.7 mi
Fort Dearborn — Evacuation Route Ambush 1812
1812Early Republic
3.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Davis Square listed on the National Register?

Davis Square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 17, 2003.

What type of historic resource is Davis Square?

Davis Square is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Davis Square?

The period of significance for Davis Square is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1905.

Can I research the history near Davis Square?

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