Oz Park

Oz Park (HMW2W)

Location: Chicago, IL 60614 Cook County
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Country: United States of America
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N 41° 55.305', W 87° 38.646'

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Inscription
Oz Park was created in 1974, as part of an renewal program for the Lincoln Park area. Historically, the neighborhood underwent numerous population shifts and by the 1950s home ownership was declining and many buildings were in sub-standard condition. The Lincoln Park Conservation Association approached the City of Chicago, and a large section of the community was designated as the Lincoln Park Urban Renewal Area. As part of the Urban Renewal Plan, a 13 acre site was identified for a new park. The city council approved the sale of property in 1967, however, the Chicago Park District was not able to acquire the land until 1974.

The 1976, the park was officially named Oz Park in honor of Lyman Frank Baum, the author of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum (1856-1919) settled in Chicago in 1891 several miles west of what is now the park. He held a number of different jobs before he began writing children's books in 1897, when he was in his mid-forties. In all, Baum wrote more than 60 books including 14 Oz books. Five of Baum's books including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz were illustrated by W.W. Denslow, a well-known Chicago cartoonist. In 1939, The Wizard of Oz was immortalized by the production of the MGM movie, which is still a classic today.

Details
HM NumberHMW2W
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Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, September 29th, 2014 at 5:36am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 446591 N 4641288
Decimal Degrees41.92175000, -87.64410000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 55.305', W 87° 38.646'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 55' 18.30" N, 87° 38' 38.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)312, 773
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 601 W Webster Ave, Chicago IL 60614, US
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