Columbus Park, Public park in Austin neighborhood, Chicago, United States
Columbus Park is a 135-acre space on Chicago's West Side that combines a lagoon, prairie land, wooded sections, and paved paths. The grounds blend different natural habitats within a single interconnected area.
Landscape architect Jens Jensen designed this space in 1915 as the first major recreation area for Chicago's crowded West Side neighborhoods. The project pioneered a new approach to public green space in the city.
The park reflects Prairie School design principles that merge human spaces with the natural Midwest landscape. You can see this approach in how the woodlands, grasslands, and water features flow together throughout the grounds.
The park includes recreational facilities spread throughout the grounds, with a golf course where children under 17 play free when with paying adults. Paved paths make it easy to walk through different areas, and open meadows offer space to linger.
The wooded sections contain one of Chicago's largest collections of spring ephemeral plants, flowers that bloom briefly in early spring before tree canopies close. These delicate woodland bloomers return each year in the natural forest areas.
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