Chicago Unveils Jesse Owens Playground

The entry plaza at Chicago?EUR??,,????'?????<

 

Chicago, a suitor to host the 2016 Olympic Games, has been sprucing up the city, including such large projects as installing the immense permeable paver table at Grant Park and revitalizing Buckingham Fountain (for story click here).

At this writing, Oct. 1, 2009, the Olympic Committee?EUR??,,????'?????<

In the spirit of its Olympic bid, Chicago opened its new playground at Jesse Owens Park on September 18. Jesse Owens, of course, is the sporting icon who won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, an event in keeping with Hitler?EUR??,,????'?????<

Jesse Owens Park was funded by the AllState Foundation for the Chicago Park District and features an Olympic stadium theme, complete with play areas and games for kids of all ages and abilities. The new playground at Jesse Owens Park is the design of Chicago-based Hitchcock Design Group and features play equipment from Little Tikes Commercial.

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An entry plaza with U.S. Olympic rings and a spray pool welcomes visitors to the playground. A track with racing lanes surrounds the play area, while a built-up bank along the area?EUR??,,????'?????<

Large custom panels invite kids to compete in a five-event circuit: a 75-meter race, pull-ups, long jump, jump-touch and overhead ring race. After completing the activities, kids can award each other Gold, Silver or Bronze ratings for activities in the medal podium area.

Along the long jump pit, a bronze plaque marks the distance of Jesse Owens?EUR??,,????'?????<