Ping Tom Memorial Park in the Chinatown neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago is a shining example of the transformation of vacant open space into a vibrant community anchor. Part of the Chicago Park District, the park project encompassed five phases of work over a period of more than 10 years. The expanded 19-acre site now includes traditional Chinese gardens, a playground, pavilion, boathouse, fieldhouse, naturalized shoreline, community waterfront plaza and a boardwalk.

The history of this dynamic pubic space harkens back to the late 1960s when the Dan Ryan Expressway spur cut through Chinatown's only public green space. Designed by the Olmsted brothers, Hardin Square Park had amenities such as a fieldhouse, wading pools, ball fields, and playgrounds. All of it was erased and never replaced for the Chinatown community.

 

Now, after 40 years of waiting the bold plan pioneered by local business and civic leader Ping Tom (1935–1995) has fully emerged. Ping Tom Memorial Park is part of a 60-acre mixed-use development on former Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad yards along the edge of the South Branch of the Chicago River in the Armour Square Community near the 18th Street Bridge. The initial seven-acre historic railroad site was acquired in 1996, and subsequently transformed into cherished and much needed open space for the Chinese community.

The original site is bounded by the Chicago River to the west, active railroad tracks to the south and east, and the 18th Street Bridge to the north. The development of the park spurred development of the surrounding neighborhood, transforming the Chinatown community into the distinctive and energetic community it is today. More than 15 years after the completion of the first phase of the park, the space has continued to grow and is bustling with community members, visitors and explorers.

 

Visitors travel to Chinatown from Chicago's Loop via water taxis, which now stop at the recently completed Ping Tom Memorial Park boathouse. Seniors walk from the surrounding neighborhood to the park to practice their graceful tai chi forms every morning by the pavilion overlooking the Chicago River. Visible from the nearby elevated public transit line, kids are frequently seen running through the playground after school. Generations of Chinatown families walk from one end of the park to the other; some sit to have tea, which they carry in thermoses, eat char siu bao, a Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled bun, and visit with neighbors. The annual Dragon Boat Races event in early summer brings hoards of participants and spectators to the river edge. With all of that activity, the demographics of park users continue to grow.

Chinese Culture in an American Context
The design of Ping Tom Memorial Park reflects Chinese culture in the context of Midwest America. Arriving at the park through the "hidden" entrance at West 19th Street and South Wells Street, visitors are greeted by the Four Dragon Gateway – a representation of a traditional Chinese entrance courtyard that frames views of the Chicago River and the pavilion behind it. The "dragons" (four columns) of the gateway face north toward the energy of the city, i.e., downtown Chicago. Traditional Chinese gardens often include ponds, rocks, trees, flowers and an assortment of halls and pavilions connected by winding paths. The intent of these paths and pavilions is to create carefully composed scenes throughout the garden, unrolling like a scroll of landscape paintings. The pavilion and the adjacent landscaped terraces, gardens, and seating areas were designed around these concepts, eliciting imagery of a classical Chinese setting and serving as a community gathering destination throughout the year.

With views of steel bridges and the Chicago skyline in the distance, the park has become a green oasis among transportation and industrial facilities. The playground – said to be the first in the city of Chicago to incorporate resilient rubber surfacing "?u is universally accessible and is surrounded by seasonal plantings.

 

Catalyzing from the success of Phase 1 of the park (completed in 1999), Ping Tom Memorial Park has also continued to grow and build upon the initial development to realize the visionary master plan and continue to serve the expanding Chinatown community. The subsequent phases encompassed the 18th Street underbridge (2009), the north shoreline (2011), boathouse (2013) and Fieldhouse (2013). From the first phase moving north, the visitor's view opens to a new vista.

The boathouse is the focal point as one enters the "North Shoreline', with its bright red trellis and flurry of activity as visitors rent kayaks, canoes and board Chicago water taxis. The boathouse design is simple and linear, and reminiscent of the pavilion.

 

A 300-linear foot iconic red railing lines the boardwalk along the river's edge. This five-acre expansion is home to one of the only naturalized shorelines along the south branch of the Chicago River, a priceless amenity for the city. The plantings along the river's edge helps cleanse the water of the Chicago River and creates new habitat for native aquatic species. At the end of the boardwalk, a community plaza is anchored with concrete terraces that cascade into the water, creating a picturesque vista toward the city and the Chicago skyline.

An oak savanna restoration borders the adjacent railroad, creating a buffer to the surrounding activities, while attracting urban wildlife, putting an emphasis on sustainability and the environmental subsistence of the community. Rolling hills are adorned with native landscape and navigated through a series of pedestrian trails that are popular with walkers, runners and bikers.

 

At the boathouse the site design drew heavily from elements of a Chinese garden, but with a modernized palette and unity with the rest of the park. To complement the architecture, different paving palettes of cobblestone, natural stone steps, pavers and concrete were used to create distinct "pavilions' in front of the building.

Located on the east side of the railroad tracks and just north of 18th Street, the LEED Platinum Leonard Louie Fieldhouse features multiple indoor recreation opportunities throughout the year, including a pool, gymnasium, and fitness center, with an accessible green roof terrace for gathering and relaxing that boasts expansive skyline views. Completed in 2013, this amenity provides much needed active recreation opportunities for the community.

 

The recent phases of development at Ping Tom Memorial Park have built upon the success of the first phase with a new take on the design and programming. Where Phase 1 mimics Chinese aesthetics, the subsequent phases have begun to focus on sustainable design, environmental awareness, and support of local ecosystems. While implementing design practices that are representative of Chinese culture, the context and supporting features of the park are decidedly Chicago, and strongly rooted in sustainable design.

Through continued, multiphased development this expanding park continues to serve as a symbolic cultural destination for Chicagoans and tourists, providing green space for this growing community. Ping Tom Memorial Park has help shaped the development of Chinatown into an active and popular neighborhood.

 

Providing recreation, open space, and access to the Chicago River, this park is an essential part of the Chinatown community and its residents. Through cultural, sustainable, and interactive design measure, Ping Tom Memorial Park is a model for future riverfront and cultural parks throughout the city of Chicago.

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