Humboldt Park Boathouse


[Humboldt Park Boathouse (1907) Schmidt, Garden & Martin, architects /Image & Artwork: designslinger]

The Humboldt Park Boathouse harkens back to a time when people were content to spend   a summer afternoon or evening taking a leisurely paddle in a small rented boat on a man-made lagoon. This was the era of our grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, well before air conditioning and before tv, the internet, smart phones and texting took up more and more of our time - leisure or otherwise.


[Humboldt Park Boat House, 1359 N. Sacramento Boulevard, Chicago /Image & Artwork: designslinger]

Designed in 1907 by architects Schmidt, Garden & Martin, the building replaced a structure built when the park was being developed in the late 1870s. Former gardener and now superintendent of the West Park System Jens Jensen, had the Prairie Style inspired team design a building which fit nicely into Jensen's redo of the park's Victorian landscape. It helped that the old building was falling apart and needed some sort of overhaul due to years of neglect. Park commissioners who had a large pool of money under their control, diverted funds for Humboldt's maintenance and upkeep into vast patronage payrolls made up of friends and family. Jensen had actually been appointed to oversee the park once before, but when he tried to buck the ward bosses he was let go, only to be brought back a few years later under reform minded politicians intent on cleaning-up park oversight.


[Humboldt Park Boathouse & Refectory /Image & Artwork: designslinger]

The boathouse, sometimes known as the pavilion, or refectory (a word that comes to us from medieval times and referred to the dining hall of a monastery) provided food from a concessionaire, respite from the sun under the large hip roof, and served as a pavilion for the music court, which is now serves as a parking lot. The park went through some tough times and became a haven for gang bangers and drug dealers, and the boathouse was shut-up and sat empty and forlorn for a couple of decades. But in 2002, with a renewed commitment from the Chicago Park District and a community ready for change, Bauer Latoza Studio oversaw the renovation and restoration of the building, returning the structure back to its original condition.

See another restored park building at: Humboldt Park Receptory & Stables.
Posted by designslinger at 5/17/2011 4:26 AM
Categories: Architecture, Gardens, History
Tags: Schmidt Garden and Martin Jens Jensen parks park architecture Humboldt Park Prairie style
 

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  • 5/17/2011 6:25 PM Larry S wrote:
    I'm glad that the Chicago Park District does the right thing with these amazing buildings.
    1. 5/18/2011 4:31 AM designslinger wrote:
      It says a lot about the District and their commitment to preserving and maintaining a great park system. 
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