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Old & Noteworthy The road to recognition on the National Register of Historic Places By Lesley M. Gilmore Scoville Park—the first public park in Oak Park, Illinois— recently was named to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service. The Village of Oak Park nominated Scoville Park because of the park's role in the history of Oak Park and the community's desire to protect and enhance the original design intent. Interest is growing regarding the importance of landscaped parks in the design of our communities and in the lives of our citizens. Since 1969, 23 Illinois parks have been placed on the National Register; 17 were nominated after 1990. What follows is an account of the National Register nomination process, which explains the various reasons for, and benefits of, nominating a park. According to the National Park Service, the National Register of Historic Places is the official federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture. National Register properties can be significant locally, statewide or nationally. Listing on the National Register recognizes the significance and integrity of a property. This acknowledgement often is considered the primary benefit of being listed. Other advantages include eligibility for grant money and an increased public awareness of the special character of the nominated property. The identification of the contributing features of the park helps guide future planning and design efforts. A frequent misconception is that listing protects a site from demolition and misguided alterations. Listing provides protection only if the property is threatened with a change that is part of a federally funded project. For instance, if a highway is proposed to cut through the site, an impact assessment is required. The site has to at least be considered within the overall scheme of the proposed development. Scoville Park's Nomination Time Line The following time line for the nomination—with a one-year duration—is typical. Ample time needs to be allocated to the physical examination, documentation, research, and writing involved in preparing the nomination. October 10, 2001 Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) issues preliminary determination of eligibility for Scoville Park October 30, 2001 Village of Oak Park applies for Certified Local Government grant from IHPA
January 30, 2002 Village of Oak Park receives grant from IHPA, funding 60 percent of the project
February 13, 2002 Village of Oak Park issues Request for Proposals for professional services to nominate Scoville Pork to the Notional Register of Historic Places 36 Illinois Parks and Recreation
April - September, 2002 Consultant researches and prepares nomination September 12, 2002 Consultant presents nomination to Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, and the nomination is recommended
October 8, 2002 State Historic Preservation Officer recommends listing to the Keeper of the National Register
November 21, 2002 The Keeper of the National Register approves the nomination Scoville Park's Place in History The 4.6-acre Scoville Park was part of the first land purchased for settlement in Oak Park in 1837, and it is located at the corner of a prominent commercial intersection. The park originally was named Scoville Place after James Scoville, who owned the property and had a twenty-room house there. Scoville, a local bank president, demonstrated his commitment to Oak Park by donating $115,000 for the village's first library in 1883. He is credited as being instrumental in developing Oak Park. Ultimately, Scoville's home and outbuildings were torn down to create the park, which was established as Oak Park's first public park in 1912. Designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen in 1913, Scoville Park continues to serve the same role—town square and recreational park—as originally intended. Scoville Park has three major design components indicative of an early Jens Jensen prairie style landscape: a large meadow for passive use; a knoll at the top of the hill; and a flat area for active recreation with tennis courts, play ground equipment, and a shelter with restrooms. As part of its role as town square, the park was a natural choice for the siting of the 1925 World War I Memorial monument, which was erected at the knoll. A campaign for public subscription raised $52,000 in the early 1920s to erect the monument. It is hoped that awareness of this earlier effort will elicit interest in raising funds and garnering grant money to restore the memorial. The decision to nominate the park to the National Register was generated by concern for the potential impact that changes in the adjacent properties might have on the character and use of Scoville Park. A pattern has been developing in the area around the park to exchange greenspace between roads and sidewalks for angled parking January/February 2003 37
spaces. Also, plans for construction of a new, three-story library across the street from the park include a paved plaza that joins the library site to the park. It is hoped that with status on the National Register, the remaining perimeter of Scoville Park will be retained. Nomination to the Register The nomination process involves six primary components: • Preliminary staff review by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency • Determination of the criteria for listing • Examination of the existing physical conditions • Identification of the contributing and non-contributing features • Submittal of National Register application and presentation to the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council • Recommendation of listing by the State Historic Preservation Officer The State Historic Preservation Officer makes recommendations to the Keeper of the National Register. All of this work should be preceded by a review of the intent and process with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) staff, and should also probably be provided by a professional. The IHPA staff is particularly helpful in Grafting the case for listing. There are four criteria for nomination and one or more may be selected. Criteria for Nomination 1. Association with a historic event 2. Association with a significant person 3. Representation of a type or style of construction or work of a master 4. Ability to reveal prehistoric or historic facts
The concept of listing is to identify locally significant parks and ones that are representative of trends. A park need not have been designed by a prominent landscape architect in order to qualify. A prop-
38 Illinois Parks and Recreation
erty does have to be at least 50 years old. Scoville Park qualifies for listing under the first and third criteria. First, as a product of the nascent parks legislation (outside the city of Chicago), the creation of Scoville Park was the manifestation of a broader pattern of our state history. Early urban parks in Illinois resulted from a concerted effort by community-minded individuals to set aside land for public use before the land was densely developed. Chicago's strong tradition of park development had spread to the rest of the state and encouraged legislation to enable surrounding suburbs to enjoy the same amenities. The Park District of Oak Park was created in 1912, after receiving overwhelming community support for a referendum to establish a park district and to purchase specific properties (such as Scoville Place) for parks. The local newspapers carried appeals by various interested parties supporting the creation of a park district. Articles and letters stated fear of overcrowding and disease, fear of lost opportunities to purchase land, and fear of moral decline as the paramount reasons for passing the bond issue. Oak Park's experience was representative of a statewide trend; 49 park districts were established in the 1910s and 1920s. Scoville Park also qualifies for listing because it represents the work of master landscape architect Jens Jensen. Jensen was hired to design Oak Park's first park, as well as three others. Scoville Park's original design has not been substantially altered; the plant materials generally are within the original type and palette, and the character of the park remains true to Jensen's design. Thus, the integrity of Jensen's vision has been maintained. Parks that have been significantly redesigned would not qualify for this criterion. "Newspaper articles and letters stated fear of Overcrowding and disease, fear of lost opportunities to purchase land, and fear of moral decline as the paramount reasons for passing the bond issue to create the Park District of Oak Park in 1912." The Village of Oak Park received a grant from the State of Illinois that provided part of the funding associated with nominating the park. The cost to nominate Scoville Park was $8,500, and this is typical for parks of this size and the reasons given for nomination. The Oak Park architectural firm of Gilmore Franzen Architects, Inc., which has presented several nominations for consideration, prepared the Scoville Park nomination. Landscape architect Carol JH Yetken was engaged to address the strong landscape design component of the nomination and research process, providing an understanding of how the current condition represents the original design intent. The process of nominating Scoville Park to the National Register has identified the components that are significant and should be protected. The overall design concept and plant groupings have been recognized and can now be incorporated into park planning. As with many park resources, increased awareness of these important features can help guide future efforts and enable the parks to fulfill their full potential. Lesley M. Gilmore is the president of Gilmore Franzen Architects, Inc. (GFAI), an Oak Park architectural firm that specializes in historic preservation and adaptive reuse. GFAI currently is working on restoring several Prairie School residences, documenting the Maxwell Street/Hoisted Street Commercial Area, and has designed additions for park district and municipal buildings. For information on Certified Local Government grants available through the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, call IHPA at 217.785.4512. IHPA can also provide copies of nominations for parks and other properties, as well as guidance on the process.
See www.notionolregisterofhistoricploces.com for more information. January/February 2003 39 |
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