Douglas Park

Douglas Park was created in 1869 by the West Park Commission along with Humboldt and Garfield Parks. Douglas Park was designed by architect William Le Barron Jenney, who would, in 1885, design the Home Insurance building - Chicago's, and the world's, first skyscraper. With the park, he focused more on ground-level attractions, most notably a lagoon, lily pond, a linear formal garden and Flower Hall. The park was created from scratch; it had to be raised to grade level by filling it with sand and other materials. The lagoon pictured here still exists today.