50th Ward Parks
Indian Boundary Park
Tucked away in the West Ridge community sits a 13.22 acres community treasure—Indian Boundary Park and Cultural Center. Beyond the quaint Tudor-style field house, visitors can discover a beautifully restored nature area and duck-filled lagoon, a children’s spray pool, and four tennis courts.
In the Nature Play Center, kids use their imagination and get creative while playing in this incredible outdoor space. As a designated cultural center, Indian Boundary thrives with various painting, piano, dance and voice lessons for both children and adults. Check out the stained glass and weaving class options. Some classes take place on the park’s back porch so that artists can use the park’s scenery as inspiration.
The Indian Boundary fieldhouse, designed by Clarence Hatzfeld, features Native American-themed ornament inspired by the park’s name, taken from a territorial boundary established between the Pottawattomie Indians and the United States Government. The boundary line, which ran through the land that is now the park, remained in effect only through 1833, when the Pottawattomies were forced entirely from the area in the face of white settlement.
In 2005, Indian Boundary Fieldhouse was designated a Historical Landmark by the City of Chicago and is also listed in the National Register of Historical Places. Inside is a beautiful auditorium with stage, used for programs, theater productions, concerts, community meetings and private rentals.