Scoville Park is a public park in Oak Park, Illinois

Oak Park, Illinois

Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...

. Contrary to the name, it is not located on Scoville Avenue, but rather the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street, next to the Oak Park Public Library. The park is home to a small Playground

Playground

A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...

, a large field that is home to concerts during Sundays in summer, a war memorial

War memorial

A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...

 statue, tennis courts and the Horse Show Fountain

Horse Show Fountain

The Horse Show Fountain, also known as the Wright-Bock Fountain, is located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The fountain, first erected in 1909, has been widely attributed to both sculptor Richard Bock and architect Frank Lloyd Wright...

. A plan for a $2.1 Million renovation to start in 2012 has recently been approved.

History

Scoville Park was originally the site of the Scoville Family Estate. It was purchased by the Village in 1912, making it one of the villages 3 original parks. The Scoville home was demolished a year later. The site was also at one point the home of Joseph Kettlestrings, Oak Park's first white settler.
The memorial statue, located at the top of Scoville Park's hill, was dedicated in 1925. Charles G. Dawes

Charles G. Dawes

Charles Gates Dawes was an American banker and politician who was the 30th Vice President of the United States . For his work on the Dawes Plan for World War I reparations he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served in the First World War, was U.S...

, who was at that time the Vice-President of the United States, attended the dedication. The statue is made out of granite and bronze, and has recently been blocked off for construction.