Garfield Park

Chicago, Illinois, United States

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Garfield Park in Chicago, Illinois, is a historic 184-acre urban park on the West Side, originally opened in 1874 as Central Park and later renamed in 1881 after President James A. Garfield.

It was designed by William LeBaron Jenney, who was influenced by French parks and boulevards, with the park featuring landscaped flower gardens, lagoons, bridges, a bandshell, and the iconic Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the largest plant conservatories in the U.S. Jens Jensen, a pioneer of Prairie-style landscape architecture, enhanced the park in the early 20th century with naturalistic elements like a large lagoon used for boating in summer and ice skating in winter.

The park includes notable architecture such as the golden-domed fieldhouse built in 1928, designed by Michaelsen and Rognstad, which became a center for recreation after the consolidation of Chicago’s parks in 1934. Throughout its history, Garfield Park has served as a popular space for both passive recreation and public events, maintaining its character through paths, water features, gardens, and historic buildings.