Sculpture Garden and Healing Garden Taking Root in Ronan Park

Thanks in part to Openlands, a new multicultural sculpture park and healing garden, featuring an infinity path, lotus garden, children’s garden, labyrinth, and a celebration plaza, will take root in Ronan Park, located in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. (Click here to view a flickr photo gallery of the ground-breaking ceremony on May 19.)

Openlands helped the City of Chicago expand Ronan Park by acquiring seven land parcels near the Chicago River that were slated for a five-story 84-unit condo development. Openlands turned the property over to the city in 2009, creating additional open space in a neighborhood possessing considerably less than the two acres per 1,000 residents recommended in the 1998 CitySpace Plan and regarded as the minimum by many land conservation organizations across the country. Albany Park is more than 87 acres shy of that mark. 

According to census data, Albany Park, located in the third most diverse zip code in the U.S., is a port of entry for immigrants from around the world. Similarly, Ronan Park is a gateway—from there cyclists, runners, birders, and other outdoor recreationalists access miles of multi-use paths, including a linkage to the North Branch Trail, which stretches as far north as the Chicago Botanic Garden, in Glencoe, IL. Also, Ronan Park connects directly to River and Legion parks, offering soccer and baseball fields, playgrounds, and a large park district swimming pool and field house.

Click here to learn more about Openlands' role in expanding Ronan Park.