A place to discover nature
in Lincoln Square
The Welles Park Advisory Council, in partnership with the Chicago Park District and Friends of the Parks and the Chicago Parks Foundation, created a space for nature in the city.
In a city known for its parks, its river and its lakefront, this space is special because it is designed for unstructured nature play for children of all ages.
This NaturePlace is on the site of a former playground near the busy intersection of Western and Montrose Avenues. That playground has been replaced with an exciting new type of park space full of hidden nooks, climbing challenges, and buzzing wildlife.
Enjoying the Welles Park NaturePlace:
Due to the combination of natural area and unstructured play areas, some guidelines to help you explore the space.
- Please play with sticks, logs and rocks (but please leave them for others to enjoy)
- While we love all kinds of wildlife, dogs are never allowed in Chicago Park District natural areas
- Please let creativity lead the way but show respect each other and the diversity of ‘play’ we each enjoy in the space in our own way
- Try exploring it with different senses. Listen, Touch, Watch, Smell (but please don’t taste)
- NaturePlace is different year-round, hopefully each time you visit, you will see something different
We want to thank our community for its support in creating and maintaining this unique space!
But we need your help!
There is still much help we need to keep the site active and looking great so hopefully you’ll pitch in and help out in one of the following ways:
- Funding – We require ongoing funds to program and maintain the site. Both cash and in-kind donations are welcome. Please contact us if you’d like to support the Nature Place or have an idea in order to support the site.
- Volunteer – There are a number of events and activities taking place each year. Contact us to learn more about how you can help or attend one of the month ‘Greening Committee Meetings‘ listed on our events calendar.
- Join Us – We always need more help on the Advisory Council and with the Greening Committee. To connect with the Greening Committee, please email wellesparkgreening@gmail.com.
Site History:
The previous playground was removed in 2014 as the new playground on the north side of the park was added. Conversations between the Park District, the Advisory Council and local neighbors began to ask what does the park need and what can the space accommodate? A landscape architect was hired to develop conceptual visuals and a site plan for a space that would combine a natural area and play elements in an emerging field referred to as Nature Play.
There was such excitement about this vision for the park from neighbors that a plan was developed to raise additional funds and add new and creative elements to the design. A “crowd-funding” plan was developed by the Greening Committee of the Advisory Council and over $50,000 was raised to bring this vision to reality. Committed neighbors stepped forward with funding and the project received a $20,000 award from the Disney Company and National Park and Recreation Association through their ‘Meet Me at the Park’ initiative. Additional funds from Alderman Ameya Pawar and event-based grants were secured to round out the necessary financial support.
Fundraising Materials
With funding secured, the Park District was confident that the project could go forward and it was installed during late 2017 and the spring of 2018. Much of the work was accomplished with the City of Chicago’s Greencorps Chicago program, a green jobs training program operated by the Chicago Department of Transportation and WRD Environmental.
Check back on this site as we hope to develop a Plant and Wildlife Guide, a Walking Tour, and other resources for visitors to the Nature Place.
Articles about the Welles Park Nature Place:
– What’s a nature play area and what will it look like at Welles Park – dna info 6/16/16
–Welles Park Needs $30K To Go Wild With Proposed NaturePlace – dna info 1/12/17
–Welles Park Wins $20,000 Grant To Fund NaturePlace – dna info 5/19/17
–Meet Me at the Park: New nature play place coming to Welles Park – ABC7 5/18/17
Please allow us to recognize the many people who have helped make the NaturePlace a reality!
Donors –
| Abu-Absi Family |
| Aimee Schnabel |
| Alafair Sparrow |
| Amy & Dan Kurt |
| Andy & Tracey Lowenthal |
| Andy Sabin Mary Donoghue |
| Ann and Phil Ponce |
| Anne Posner and Matt Wilson |
| Annie Conway |
| Ashmore Family |
| Atreyu and Rohan Scher |
| Barbara Reed |
| Barsano Family |
| Bill Bergfalk and Roland Hansen |
| Blanke Family |
| Bloom Yoga Studio |
| Brad Lando |
| Brannan Family |
| Brian Ohsowski |
| Bright Funds Foundation |
| Byerly Family |
| Calvin’s Mama |
| Carolyn Dean |
| Carral family |
| Carrie Harker |
| Carter and Audrey Stokes |
| Carter Family |
| Cecilia Siciliano |
| Chandlers Family |
| Chris, Nancy, and Pierce Mork Bakker |
| Christine and Bernie |
| Christine George |
| Conley Family |
| Conway Family |
| Craig and Alaina Tucker |
| Craig and Natasha Edwards |
| Dave and Alison Rio |
| Dave and Debbie Barford |
| David Rosholt and Jill Hutchison |
| Dawn Hillman |
| Dean Family |
| Dordek Landgraff Family |
| Durnbaugh Family |
| Elizabeth & Tarun Chandran |
| Emily and Ryan Anderson |
| Erin Daughton |
| Facility IT Group |
| Gehrett Family |
| Gormley Family |
| Greene Family |
| Haite Family |
| Hana ishikawa |
| Harkin / Luscombe Family |
| Heather |
| Hess Family |
| Honore Kligerman |
| In Memory of a Generous Soul. Bernadette ‘Gram-me’ Miller |
| In Memory of Dave Sevening |
| Itamura-Kanards |
| Jeremy Schaffer |
| Joanne Dude |
| Joe Kennedy & Nancy Weber |
| John & Linda Vanderpoel |
| Johnny |
| Jon and Mary Heggen |
| Julie Peterson |
| Karen & Jim Nevotti |
| Karen Loevy Horowitz |
| Karen Reinbold |
| Karen Semone |
| Kate and Jim Yoshida |
| Katzenstein Family |
| Kaune Familly |
| Kayleen Catus |
| Keglers |
| Kevin & Kellen Murphy |
| Key Family |
| Kim, Jim, Sienna, and Jameson O’Malley |
| Laura M. |
| Liz Drapa |
| Malkin Family |
| Maness Family |
| Marisa Lewis |
| Mark & Diane Adams |
| Mark and Joni Croll |
| Mark Vanderpoel & Linda Coady |
| Mary Blankenheim & Jim Gallery |
| Maxwell Grote |
| Mazzeo |
| McKone Family |
| Michael & Suzanne Schmidt |
| Michelle Favia |
| Mike and Julie Beazley |
| Moran Family |
| Morowitz Family |
| Nancy Kujawinski |
| Nancy VanderHye |
| Natalie Holden |
| National Christian Foundation |
| National Recreation and Parks Association |
| Nick Memisovski |
| North Park Elementary School Families |
| Pantea Vaziri |
| Phil and Gina Byers |
| Rachel Holtzman |
| Rachel Kligerman and Kevin Gilbert |
| Rebecca Zemans and Ryan Blitstein |
| Rieger Family |
| Roark Family |
| Robin and Jane Thompson |
| Safari Sarah |
| Sam Coady |
| Sara & Chris Parkes |
| Sara Schirmer |
| Sarah Morrison |
| Saunders Family |
| Schulter Foundation |
| Schulze Family |
| Scott and Betsy Serilla |
| Sean & Victoria Wiedel |
| Shirley Galvin |
| Siegel/Jacobs Family |
| Simmons Family |
| Sonjay Punwani |
| Strang Wolf Family |
| Sue Smock-Lawson |
| Susan Bruck |
| Suzanne Rock |
| Swedish Covenant Hospital |
| Tamara & Dragan Dacic |
| Tamara Chase |
| Thomas and Gail Vanderpoel |
| Tim and Katie McAvoy |
| Tom and Maria Elena Kenney |
| Tom Greenhaw |
| Tom Jacks |
| Tracy Thompson |
| Trudie Acheatel |
| Tyler Vanderpoel |
| Warner Family |
| Warren Gast |
| Waters Elementary Families |
| Weisbergs |
| William Perry |
| William Vanderpoel |
| Zweifel Family |
In-kind Support –
| Thor Uremovich – Graphic Design |
| Hallinan Family – Kiosk Construction |
Local Officials –
Alderman Ameya Pawar, 47th Ward
If you have any questions about this project or anything related to the Welles Park Advisory Council please email us at wellesparkac@gmail.com.
Welles Park Advisory Council 